Fire Emblem Fates: Double-Edged Destiny
by Motley World Studios
Summary: Two kingdoms stand on the crossroads of war and peace: the eastern Hoshido and the western Nohr. Two children belonging to these kingdom's royal families, Yamato Kamui of Hoshido and Janice Corinna "Corrin" Plantagenet of Nohr, will help shape the world's fate as the conflict reaches a climax. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 0: Sparks of Day and Night

_**Author: Motley World Studios (formerly known as Blue Sun Studios)**_

 _ **Renewal Begin Date: January 1st, 2017**_

 _ **Author's Introduction Paragraph (March 20th Update): Hey-oh everyone, this is Motley World Studios on the air with you all. I know, long time no see, but I'm ready to start coming back after some serious soul searching. For the time being I'm going over each chapter and adding a few things in that I felt needed some changing. It's mostly minor like grammar and spelling (and HOLY HELL do I get triggered seeing so many mistakes in my own works) but now it will start including things from Fates' US post-release wherein this was made pre-US release. Just like with all adaptations that I make there will be some changes here and there to not make the story feel like a strict novelization, but I will not make the adaptation extremely unrecognizable from the source material. I have a major shout-out to all the people over at SerenesForest that I've spoken to before (especially Taka-kun and Luankachu) and my good friend Hank, all of whom provided welcomed feedback and walked with me get it to where it is now. Thank you guys so much, and without further ado here's the disclaimer for this story.**_

 _ **The following is nonprofit fan-based fiction. The Fire Emblem franchise is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd. Please support the official releases.**_ _ **WARNING:**_ _ **this fiction in its entirety contains material that is not suitable for work. If you are under the legal age of adulthood or if your location forbids the viewing of explicit media, then this is the part where you should be leaving. If none of that applies to you and you are all set to read, then**_ _ **I**_ _ **hope you enjoy this.**_

* * *

Darkness…Everything was covered in darkness. What was this place…? It felt like it was outside; soft blades of grass sprouting from solid earth could be felt from underneath. Was this death transitioning into the afterlife…? It didn't seem so; while there was the element of exhaustion, it was nothing new—much less anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey…wake up…" a voice called out from beyond the darkness. This voice…it had a familiar, soothing quality to it, yet it was also filled with urgency. "Please, wake up…we need you out here…" What was going on…? Judging from this unknown yet familiar speaker's tone of voice, it sounded very important and required being fully aware of the moment. Little by little, the darkness disappeared until it was all but gone, and in it's place was a young woman with vibrant-colored hair staring straight down. Beside this young woman was a teen-aged boy with pale hair and a very young girl with bright hair, both of whom shared the young woman's concerned expression. While the mind was foggy for some time, memories of these people started flooding back to it, and the mouth tried calling out their names…

* * *

 _ **Theme: EGDELWONK**_

 _ **Hoshidan Side**_

"Hinoka, Takumi, Sakura…?" a young man said.

"O-Oh, thank goodness…" Sakura said with a relieved sigh. "Y-You're finally awake."

"Took you long enough," Takumi said in annoyance. "You always were a deep sleeper."

"Are you alright Kamui?" Hinoka asked beset with worry, running her hands along the young prince's head to look for anything out of the ordinary. After Kamui turned out fine Hinoka finally allowed herself to relax. "Thank Hydra above that you're okay; we can't afford to lose you at a time like this."

"Lucky for you there's an entire army looking out for your well-being, family included," Takumi said. "Gods above know you need the extra protection."

"U-Um," Sakura began saying, "Sh-Shouldn't we, well…tell him?"

"Of course Sakura." Hinoka internally debated on how to get the dire news across to Kamui without scaring him significantly, but she realized that the situation they were in couldn't possibly be massaged enough to keep him calm. Exhaling slowly to calm her own nerves she prepared to inform Kamui on what they had gotten into.

"Listen well Kamui," the eldest princess started, "right now we are in the middle of a large plain to the West of Shirasagi. The Nohrian army has finally begun their invasion under Prince Xander's command, and we're doing everything we can to repel them. I know that this is all so sudden, but I hope that you've gotten enough rest to help us out here; we need all the firepower we can get." The following look on Kamui's face was expected; he was utterly shocked and had traces of fear in his eyes, justifiably so given that to his knowledge there was no indication of Nohrian aggression toward Hoshido beforehand. Hinoka knew that he was wondering how it could have gotten to that point, briefly remembering the explosion in Shirasagi's castle town and something tragic happening to his mother before he blacked out and ended up out in the Hoshidan plains.

"Why is the Kingdom of Nohr attacking us?" Kamui asked.

"Wish we knew that ourselves," Takumi grumbled. "Well, whatever. I'm ready to turn these savages into my personal bull's-eyes."

"Wait, but, can't we talk this out first?" Kamui said. "Maybe we don't have to—"

"Nope, we're fighting this one out," Takumi interrupted. "I know that you don't fancy combat much but now's not the time to lay our arms down and beg for mercy."

"A-As much as I don't like it either," Sakura started, "I'm afraid we don't have any other option…"

"They're right," Hinoka said. "If we falter and show unwillingness to battle, then they'll just walk right over us like doormats; we need to stand up and fight." It was just now that Kamui had noticed the array of katana laid out before him on a mat: a wakizashi, an axe splitter, a dual katana, and a sunrise katana. Beside the four swords was a small vulnerary flask. "I made sure to grab your favorite katana and some medicine before we left out, so you should have no problem taking on the Nohrian army with us."

"If you ask me you should stick with your sunrise katana for the most part to compliment your light-footed style," Takumi advised. "A quick gauging of the Nohrian army tells me that they're not very fast but strong, so a defensive strategy is key here. While we have the familiarity advantage here, the Nohrians are outnumbering us out here little by little; if left unchecked they'll literally trample all over us with their cavalry."

"Alright then," Kamui said, collecting his set of armaments for the battle. "By the way, where's Big Brother, and everyone else for that matter?"

"Up ahead," Takumi answered. "It's just the three of us hanging back here waiting for you to get your bearings straight. About ready to go?"

"I guess…Hang on a sec, did you say that Prince Xander's here?"

"Yeah, and all of his siblings are here too."

"If he's here, then wouldn't that also mean that…" Kamui trailed off, turning blue in the face after a scary thought came to him. "…Hinoka? On a scale of one to ten, how ready are we to take on a paladin, wicked dragoon, sable knight, and medic knight?"

"Together or separate—"

"And a princess who can transform into a dragon?"

"…Together or separately?"

"Together."

"…Two out of ten."

"Yikes. Well thanks for the heads up; now we know who to avoid out here."

"I'd say we have a fifty-fifty chance against them," Takumi said. "If we use our heads and put them together we might just pull through this one. I've have a strategy that could work: I'll take on Princess Camilla since I have the perfect anti-flier weapon. Hinoka, you engage Prince Leon; you're good at handling magical fighters like him and you always has a weapon triangle advantage regardless of what he chooses. Sounds good so far?"

"Sounds reasonable enough I suppose," Sakura said.

"Sounds good to me," Kamui said in agreement.

"Sounds suicidal Takumi," Hinoka retorted. "They're the elites of Nohr's army second only to Prince Xander and King Garon themselves. And you still didn't give us a guideline on how to deal with… _Corrin_ …"

"I was working on that," Takumi said ignoring Hinoka's tense tone. "She can turn into a dragon just like Kamui said, but we have no anti-dragon weapons aside of Dragon Spirits, and we don't have any yin-yang sages who can wield any if we had some right now. My suggested course of action? Pelt her with our long-ranged units while she's occupied with our close-ranged units. If she's anything like Kamui she probably doesn't have good control over her dragon form either." Kamui shot Takumi an offended glare that was ignored as the Hoshidan archer pondered more possibilities. "If she decides not to transform then she can be easily dealt with by dual kanabou, shuriken, dual daikyuu, and any naginata aside of the dual variants. She's just as skilled as the other Nohrian royals and just as powerful when she's not transformed, so we should either pair up good offense units with defensive or speedy support units, or we should have some very balanced units pair up and deal with her."

"…Wait Takumi, I think I have an idea," Kamui said. "Why not have _me_ go and deal with her? I'm worried about how the rest of the army would handle a dragon, let alone her. With me using my own dragonstone I can fight fire with fire." Takumi looked at him as if he had said a dumb joke before he broke out laughing; after that he faced his elder brother with a deadpan stare. "That's _stupid_ , Kamui. Don't be stupid."

"I'm serious. If Corrin is going to turn into a dragon then why not match her strength for strength?"

"Because I _know_ that that's a bad idea. You _never_ fight fire with fire because that only creates more fire to deal with and a stagnation scenario where neither side is winning; we need to _crush_ them, not make things even between us. And whoever invented that 'fight fire with fire' mentality should be shot, preferably with something fiery for irony."

"Come now Takumi, Kamui does have a point," Hinoka said. "Dragons are far superior to us humans even if some members of our kind possess dragon blood in our veins. We can still overwhelm Corrin through strength of numbers like you've suggested, but I'd rather have Kamui be the one to take her on rather than our other troops; he's fought her before and other troops may attempt to kill her." Takumi didn't respond with an answer, opting to mumble to himself in annoyance.

"Umm…not to interrupt, but isn't there someone else that we're forgetting about?" Sakura suddenly asked. "I've heard that the royal family of Nohr has a fifth member."

"You mean Princess Elise?" Takumi answered. "I wouldn't worry so much about her compared to her other siblings seeing how she's the baby of the bunch like you, but she shouldn't be overlooked. Elise'll be able to reach Nohr's wounded at 'what am I even looking at' kind of speeds and her magic rivals Orochi's, the best divine mage we have. Even so, try not to attack her until the others are down or at least capture her to kill the Nohrian army's morale, otherwise we're likely to make it out disfigured and in pieces or get killed."

"We're taking someone hostage? But, isn't that dishonorable brother?"

"All's fair in love and war Sakura, even kidnapping and murder; well not really when it comes to love but you get the idea. It's best that you learn this now rather than later or never; same thing goes for you Kamui." Kamui gave a slow nod, not liking the fact that he may have to take another's life.

"Then it's settled," Hinoka said. "If we take on the royal family we know what to do. Oh, and…Takumi?"

"Yes Hinoka?"

"Try your absolute best to not kill Corrin. I understand that she's spent quite some time in Nohr and that she's our enemy right now, but—"

"Spare me the lecture sis. I get the 'she's still family' spiel and all that other jazz about trying to find her for so many years—plus Ryouma's going to tan my hide raw if I do kill her—but please, _please_ do not tell me to take it easy on her, otherwise that's really crossing a line given her actions as of late."

"Very well then, so long as you remember what I told you. But we've talked long enough; on to victory for Hoshido!" Hinoka and Takumi held their weapons skyward while Kamui and Sakura gave short nods. The sibling quartet marched off to catch up to Ryouma and help him drive the Nohrians out of their home.

* * *

 _ **Nohrian Side**_

"Had a nice nap sleeping beauty?" a sarcastic voice came. "I told you that pushing yourself with your dragonstone+ is killer sis."

"Save the sass for later Leon and just help me up," a feminine figure spoke.

"Are you alright darling Corrin?" an older female's voice asked as she and Leon pulled their sister to her feet. "You were out for quite some time."

"Oh of course Camilla, I'm very much fine; nothing like waking up in the middle of nowhere which is working wonders for my psyche."

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but it's urgent that you attend this battle with us; today is the day that new history between Nohr and Hoshido shall be written."

"And it will be written in blood—either our enemies' or our own—based on what we do here," Leon added.

"And I'd like to keep my own blood strictly inside of me thank you very much," the youngest sister of the family said, "not that I really want _anyone's_ blood to be spilled to begin with but, ah, it can't really be helped by now."

"Oh, hello there Elise, I didn't see you th—" It was then that Corrin noticed something seemed off; she looked around for any sign of fighting and found that they all were quite removed from the battlefield. "Wait just a minute; didn't you all just say that we're fighting the Kingdom of Hoshido?"

"We are," Leon answered, "but Xander ordered us to hang back from the fighting until you finally came to."

"So that means that Xander is already up ahead," Corrin said.

"Yup!" Elise confirmed. "He said that he didn't want you using your dragonstone+ again so soon but Leon convinced him that you'll need it for the battle."

"It's a good thing that we've been studying the Hoshidan army in preparation for this," Leon said with a confident grin. "Prince Ryouma's come to challenge Xander as expected, and it's not just him out of the royal family who's here either; Princess Hinoka, Prince Takumi, Princess Sakura, and even…Kamui…are all accounted for."

" _Kamui?_ " Corrin asked gaining an edge to her voice. "You mean that he's _here?_ _Now?_ "

"Yes, and I know that you're still upset over what happened between you two but let's try to keep a cool head here sis; cooler heads don't make mistakes that they'll immediately regret at the very least."

"…True…still, when I do see him again I _will_ let him have a piece of my mind."

"Try not to kill him, alright?"

"I am not promising anything but I will make an effort to try to restrain myself by however much is necessary. Anyways, what of the other royal siblings? How do we deal with them?"

"I'm glad that you asked. First off, we're _not_ going up against Prince Ryouma, period; if you wanted suicide there are other less painful options out there. Next there's Princess Hinoka; she's a tenma warrior but we have little bow wielders in our army. She can handle magic fairly well and she's very fast while hitting harder than most of her profession, but tenma warriors are known for being physically frail so a few well-placed swings from Camilla's axe will bring her to her knees in no time. Then there's Prince Takumi; the guy's a _huge_ threat against a lot of our troops and especially against—but needless to say—our flying units. He's fast, lethally precise, and has the magical acumen to wield use his sacred daikyuu to cut through our forces like a hot knife on butter. The only thing stopping him from doing that is the same glaring weakness that all bow-wielders possess: they're total pushovers up close, and he's among the most fragile of Hoshido's units. That's where I come in, using one of my swords or Brynhildr to shred him like the paper tiger he is. If he has a dual daikyuu though, I'm very much screwed, so I'll keep an eye out for that. After him is Princess Sakura; she's the shrine maiden of the group and thus should be of a higher priority than her older siblings because of her ability wield many different types of rods. Capture her to lower the Hoshidans' morale but don't harm her under any circumstances if you want to make it out of this battle in one piece. And of course, there's Prince Kamui; he wields katana wielder similar to you wielding swords and can transform into a dragon, which is unsurprising since he's your twin."

"Something I wish I had remembered," Corrin said with a sour face. "But at least we know for sure by now."

"And knowing is half the battle. By the way, I managed to snag this for you to use against him." Leon handed Corrin a large and jagged sword, causing her eyes to widen.

"This is—"

"A wyrmslayer. It's very effective against dragon units and almost any experienced sword-wielder can use it, but it's not so great when used against anything else. And I got you your dragonstone+, a brave sword, a levin edge, and a Ragnarök tome for use against anything that isn't Kamui."

"'Anything that is not Kamui' implies that they have no dragons in Hoshido aside of him."

"Correct."

"Well, at least we are off on the right foot. And…what about Hoshido's hallowed treasures?"

"All of them are accounted for, even the Yato-no-kami from the spies' reports."

"…We are really getting off on the right foot today. All five hallowed treasures in one place…I can hardly contain my excitement."

"They say that whosoever gathers all five of them shall be nigh-unstoppable," Camilla said. "Xander's Siegfried and Leon's Brynhildr are two of the five treasures."

"And I know for a fact that Ryouma wields the Raijintou while Takumi wields the Fuujinkyuu. I don't know who would have the Yato-no-kami though."

"Ryouma currently has it but he's not actually wielding it in battle." Leon said. "I believe that he may be plotting to use it for something later or maybe it's just for show."

"Whatever the case is, the Yato-no-kami _will_ be ours to command," Corrin added grinning confidently, "and the conquest of Hoshido will be child's play once we finally have it in our grasp."

"I can't help but agree with that one sis, and just _wait_ when we unlock its true power."

"Well then, if the game is to procure these hallowed treasures…" Camilla said.

"Then let's play!" Elise finished. "On to victory for Nohr!" With their plan set the Nohrian quartet made their way toward the battlefield where their eldest brother waited for their return.

* * *

 _ **Theme: ENDLESS NIGHTMARE**_

Ryouma clutched the Raijintou in his hand so tight that one would be forgiven if they thought he had glued it to himself by mistake. He took a small group of warriors with him as he sprinted to where the Nohrian invaders were. Once he and his troops crossed a bridge across the river, they were all met with the sight of soldiers in formation as they awaited their orders.

"Nothing like a good ol'-fashioned home invasion taken to its logical extreme," Ryouma mumbled in annoyance. "Well, brothers and sisters in-arms, the only way past is to cut through these soldiers. Any objections?" Dead silence was all he heard from his squadron; if there were any crickets nearby, they too would be silent. "My thoughts exactly."

"Lord Ryouma, look atop that hill!" one of his troops announced. "Is that mounted man in black armor the Kingdom of Nohr's first prince, 'Xander'?"

" _Where‽_ " His eyes were led by a samurai's finger to a lone, conspicuous hill, and on that hill stood the very object of his ire: Xander. "Yeah, that has to be him; He must want me to see him if he's making a point to stand all the way up there." Xander himself had already spotted the Hoshido prince before he made it across the bridge, regarding him with a calm and calculated gaze.

"So the crown prince of Hoshido finally graces us with his presence," he said to himself. "He resembles his father so strongly, and he even wields the Raijintou just like him. No matter; his heritage to the former king will not pull him through this battle." A distant sound caught his ears and he turned to spot the source; it was his siblings all on their way to the site of war, with none looking worse for wear. He would've smiled at the sight had the atmosphere not been as tense as his father was during his bad days. With everyone in the main Nohrian army present he gave the signal for the soldiers to advance and attack; Ryouma saw this and with a mighty shout he charged forward, leading his entourage into the fray.

Ryouma cut down the first soldier he came into contact with, sending a powerful shock through their body that left them a convulsing, sizzling heap. To avoid getting hit he quickly leapt into the air and footstool jumped off of a dozen of his enemies, distracting them while his troops mowed through them. Once he was touching down on ground once more he was greeted by several soldiers surrounding him; they didn't last very long against him as he took them all out with a small number of wide-horizontal slashes, sending electricity everywhere he swung. Behind him were his troops who caught up with him, passing him by as they advanced ahead to engage the enemy; he stood to his feet and directed a fierce glare to the Nohrian army before him.

"Behold, Nohrian troops," Ryouma announced, "for I am the Kingdom of Hoshido's crown prince: _**Yamato Ryouma!**_ " The Hoshidan royal then directed his finger toward his Nohrian nemesis, daring him to a fight. "I challenge your commander to a one-on-one duel to end this bloody conflict between us once and for all!"

"…Behold, Hoshidan troops," Xander spoke, "for I am the first and crown prince of the Kingdom of Nohr: _**Xander Plantagenet**_. If it is a duel you seek from me then it is a duel you shall receive, but I shall warn you; this hallowed sword of Nohr shall be the last thing you'll ever lay eyes upon!" Emphasizing his point, Xander drew forth his weapon—Siegfried—and a thick miasma of darkness erupted around the blade. With a war cry of his own he and his horse leapt down from the hill and landed perfectly in attack mode, slicing through several samurai in his path without skipping a beat. Seeing the sight of his enemy barreling toward him made the Hoshido prince sprint at full speed to meet his galloping opponent; both men lunged straight at each other with their weapons aimed at their nemesis, and when the weapons clashed with each other in a display of bright sparks, the war had truly begun.

* * *

 _ **Theme: WOLEB TSAP**_

The four royals from each side had finally arrived on the battlefield proper and saw that everyone in their respective armies were engaged with each other. From their point of view they couldn't see any of their opposing counterparts, so for the time being they settled on taking out any enemy troops in the surrounding area that happened to somehow cross over to their side.

 _ **Hoshidan Side**_

Takumi set his sights on a wyvern knight who managed to cross the river without any scrapes, quickly drawing up an ethereal blue arrow while his hands were surrounded in a verdant aura.

"Easy pickings," Takumi said with a smirk, letting the projectiles fly at both knight and mount, utterly dropping them with a single shot to their hearts. "Pfft, they couldn't have made it any easier to get killed even if they tried. Ah well; I better move on to my next target." Takumi spotted a bastion knight within range and went over to attack them while Hinoka was busy with a sellsword.

"I'll show you!" Hinoka shouted right before darting at her enemy, enveloped in a green gust. With her crimson naginata she struck the enemy first dealing hefty damage to him, swiftly dodging a counter-swipe from his silver sword. The tenma warrior was fast enough to sneak in another blow, finishing off the Nohrian grunt with a shuttle-loop attack. The windy aura dissipated from the Hoshidan royal as Takumi came up to her. "Why do I get the feeling that this is too easy?"

"Maybe because the Nohrian troops are just that weak?" Takumi answered. "Or do you think that they're trying to soften us up with easy kills? Either way at least we're not dead yet."

" _'Yet'?_ "

"I'm not trying to kid myself into thinking that we _will_ win this without a shadow of doubt; we might if we play our cards right, but even then it takes just one little thing to completely ruin any hope of victory." Hinoka couldn't help but sigh at her younger brother's quasi-pessimistic attitude even if he was ultimately right, but she didn't need such depressing thoughts on her mind. "I'm not trying to make you feel all 'everything boils down to chance' even if it comes down to that somewhat often."

"I know that. Just…keep your chin up and your head high."

"If I do that then my neck's exposed to attacks. You wouldn't want that for one of your precious little brothers would you?"

"Less smart-aleck comments and more fighting, _baby brother_." Takumi's eye visibly twitched at the way that Hinoka addressed him though he knew that he brought it on himself and slunk away to deal with another enemy. Hinoka saw that a fighter was creeping up on the unsuspecting Kamui who looked lost. "Kamui, look out!"

" _Huh‽_ " The warning came a little too late; the fighter was able to deliver a huge slash to Kamui's back, causing him to stagger forward for a bit. The princess and her mount were already rushing to Kamui's side when he took a pained swing at the fighter only to miss, and as the fighter leapt at him to deal a likely fatal blow his silver axe was met with Hinoka's trusty naginata. It was her turn to attack the fighter, driving her weapon straight through the Nohrian grunt and causing him to back away in agony. Hinoka—seeing the fighter retreat somewhat to catch his breath—rushed straight to her little brother.

"Sit still Kamui!" He did as he was told and Hinoka moved his cape aside to inspect the wound; she almost freaked when she saw the rather large gash in his back. "Let me grab your vulnerary for you; you need it a lot right now." Hinoka poured out some of the salve onto her hand and took hold of Kamui's shoulder with the other hand. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay as still as possible…"

"Yes sister—"

"Because this is going to _hurt_." Before the young prince could ask why he felt something stinging reach into his open back, gasping out in pain. "I know that it's really painful Kamui but stay with me on this one." Kamui did his best to not scream and retract his body much as he felt his sister's fingers run deep inside him, rubbing the burning medicine all over everything that she could touch. After getting the solution inside and at the entrance of the gash, Hinoka sat and waited for it to take effect; it didn't take long for it to start seeping into Kamui's back, and in no time new flesh was forming so that the wound was closed once it had finished. It left a small scar where the injury was but other than that it didn't hurt to the point where it would cause the Hoshidan prince any problems.

"Thanks sister."

"You're very welcome, though do be more careful out here; I know that this is your first real fight but these Nohrians are here to conquer us, and who knows what they'll do to our people if you give them the chance. Don't give them that chance; give them white-hot hell for ever daring to mess with our beloved home."

"Alright."

"As long as we stick together we can drive out these cowards from Hoshido. Now let's get back into the fray!" The sound of shouts from the enemy fighter alerted the two nobles of his presence; the second time around Kamui got the jump on him first, jump slashing the man and displacing some of his armor. The fighter took a second swing and still managed to land a hit on Kamui despite his own injuries, only the wound wasn't so significant like the first one was. The fighter backed away to gain some distance from his enemy, but it was in vain as Kamui leapt at him and slashed him open with a rising swing, felling him on the spot. The prince took a look at the Nohrian man he battled; with a few attacks the man had completely ceased to live, and it was almost scary how easy it was for himself to take another being's life. To clear his thoughts he took a deep breath and sat down for a brief moment as his siblings ran up to him.

"Now's not the time to be taking a breather bro," Takumi scolded. "We still have some Nohrian troops headed this way."

"I can't help it Takumi," Kamui said. "I'm not really used to fighting like this."

"Well you better start now because I know that this won't be the last time we'll deal with Nohr."

"Are you hurt Kamui?" Sakura asked in a fret. "H-here, let me fix you up." The shrine maiden recited a chant and held her spring festival rod above her brother's head, and flashing images of sakura blossoms and talismans surrounded her and Kamui while the wound on his chest healed. Even though the injury was gone Kamui still pretty slow to getting back up on his own two feet again.

"I know that we really need you out here Kamui, but, I'm really sorry about dragging you out here so soon. You weren't given much time to recover from the capital incident I'll admit; I was just really worried about leaving you to yourself as we went out to war. Even though Big Brother's gave me an earful of misgivings about you being on the battlefield so soon, there was no way I was letting out of my sight again after what happened then."

"You worry too much sis," Takumi said. "He'll be fine with or without us, and the same can be said in reverse. Hey, how about you scout ahead and see where Big Brother is? We'll sit here and take care of any Nohrian soldiers we find. Once you've spotted him, come back to us so that we can plan a full regroup." The eldest princess was heavily against leaving her younger siblings without her, but she knew Takumi was right as always.

"…Okay then. Stay close to each other at all times and don't wander off unless you absolutely have to. I'll be right back." Hinoka's tenma didn't even need instruction to take off, galloping off with her rider before taking to the sky. Watching his sister go, Takumi couldn't help but let out a small sigh.

"She just hasn't been the same anymore, and I think she's gotten worse with Corrin showing up."

"Hinoka wasn't always like this Takumi?" Sakura asked.

"No. Back then she was cheerful and wasn't so overprotective of our family, but then again she was always the most attached next to Kamui and that's still true to this day. All the love she had gave rise to fear of losing her loved ones, starting with our first mother's death. It got worse when father was killed and when Corrin was taken, and the trauma conga line continued when Corrin came up recently and killed our new mother, Mikoto. Right after that Kamui had his freak out and dragon transformation, and don't even get me started on the rampage he had. I've never seen Hinoka break down that bad after what happened back home."

"Poor sister…" Just hearing that made Sakura all teary-eyed thinking about how horrible it had been for Hinoka through all the years; she couldn't even fathom how she herself would manage if she went through all that her sister had. Kamui hadn't known of Hinoka's emotional episode and wished he was conscious then to comfort her when she was at her lowest.

"She'll pull through guys, no matter how hard it is for her; she's a tough woman." Though Takumi didn't show it, he was still highly concerned that Hinoka would end up doing something that would end up getting herself killed. Sure, she was tough when it came to it, but he left out how said princess now had a growing cesspool of hatred boiling in her. Right now he had to be the brains and keep everyone else alive; he didn't know how much more of the bloodshed he was willing to put up with.

* * *

 _ **Nohrian Side**_

Leon's sharp eyes caught the sight of an injured spear samurai on his way over to him; the prince did nothing and waited for the Hoshidan to stagger into the hellish haze surrounding him, giving a sardonic laugh when the man missed his attack. "What's the matter Hoshidan, don't you have the weapon advantage? Surely this should have been easier for you despite your injuries."

"Don't you mock me Nohrian cracker!" the man snarled, failing to notice the ever-so-slight shift in Leon's facial expression. "You invade our lands, kill our rulers, and you dare have the gall to—"

"I—I'm sorry, could you repeat that first part? I don't think I exactly caught it."

 _"I said, you invade our lands—"_

"No, no, no, before that. What was that about me being a _'Nohrian cracker'_?" Upon hearing his own words and seeing Leon's cocky smile fade as a violet flame erupted around him, the man visibly went pale in the face. "Yeah, see, that's what I thought." Immediately the samurai was bound by his heart by black and red brambles of dark magic, followed by Leon casting Brynhildr on the Hoshidan; trees erupted from the ground below and turned the trooper into a human shish kabob. "You can invade our lands, kill our ruler, but never spit out racist drivel toward us Nohrians in my presence. Try to remember that as you pass over to your next life." The words were the last the man heard before everything faded to black for him; his body went limp in seconds before the trees disappeared and his corpse fell to the ground. Leon couldn't help but sneer after his prey met their end. "Tch, I don't need to hear that garbage. If I wanted to listen to racism I'd have stayed back home in Father's quarters all day."

"Goodness gracious little Leon," Camilla said. "Don't you think that that was a tad too much to swallow for the poor creature?"

"He was asking for it sis, and who are _you_ to come to me about overkill anyways? They should've crowned you queen in that department."

"Touché my little brother, but you shouldn't be following my lead; I'm such a bad influence~."

"So do as you say and not as you do?"

"Precisely."

"That's hypocrisy at its finest but oh well; at least you're an example of what _not_ to do."

"Don't make fun of me little brother."

"Sure, sure, or else you'll kick my arse."

"Good to know that you understand me crystal clear." Leon shot Camilla an eye-roll and a smirk before he rode off to his next victim. "That child is such a darling little thing, but for Anankos's sake he has a forged killing edge for a tongue." The eldest Nohr princess giggled at the imagery and signaled her mount to slink toward her latest opponent; a lone ninja had snuck across the river and was scanning his surroundings. He felt an eerie sensation drawing near and tried moving to lose the feeling. When he turned his head he found a horrifying sight, that of the wicked dragoon princess with blood red eyes peering out of darkness and a light layer of violet flames hugging her body.

"Aren't you just one of the cutest ninjas I've ever seen?" came Camilla's voice, spewing out wretched air with every syllable. "It's such a shame that I must kill you. I do promise that this will be over quickly." The panicked ninja pulled out his caltrop in a hurry right before Camilla slashed at him with her lustrous axe; she missed, allowing him to counterattack successfully. " _Ooh!_ " Camilla yelped, feeling the sting where the caltrop struck her. The dark flames surrounding her grew larger, and after pulling the shuriken out she sent a small glare at the ninja. "You know, that was very naughty of you…" The ninja knew right then and there that he was screwed; when he tried to move, dark brambles of magic kept him in place as his executioner rose her axe up high, and he silently prayed to Hydra that his enemy killed him in one stroke. Camilla put so much force into the swing that she split the ninja in two from top to bottom, getting some blood splattered onto her. Once she had felled her target she appeared to turn to normal but shortly afterward she felt strange; she moved around and felt very sluggish and frail almost. "Oof, what did that ninja hit me with?" She looked to where she discarded the caltrop that hit her, and her eyes widened in shock when she finally recognized the weapon. "Oh dear…"

Almost on cue she felt something sharp pierce her through her back, shrieking when it lodged itself in her spine and ended up falling off of her mount. She looked up from where she collapsed and found a bow and sword samurai together, both of whom looked very much burnt and very much pissed. _"Oh dear…"_ Before the samurai pair could reach her something else was galloping toward her fast; an armored horse sped in front of her, a clang was heard, and Camilla felt herself dragged off of the ground and onto said horse. A Nohrian paladin had swooped in and rescued her from the samurai's fatal attack, and her wyvern quickly tailed behind them.

"Thank goodness I came by in time Lady Camilla," the paladin said relieved.

"Thank goodness indeed…I was sure that I'd be sleeping with the flowers back there…" As the paladin carted her away to safety she turned to see the Hoshidans who attacked her battling Leon and Corrin. Neither of the two grunts lasted long. Camilla smiled knowing that her siblings were taking care of business in Xander's absence.

"Omigosh, _Cammy!_ " Elise screamed in fear when she saw her oldest sister slouching against the paladin with a silver arrow in her back. The paladin climbed off of his horse before helping the injured princess down, and Elise dashed to Camilla with a recover staff on her. "Stay still big sis, 'cause this is gonna hurt a bit." Elise carefully grasped the projectile embedded inside of Camilla and slowly tried pulling it out, drawing a pained gasp from the woman once the object was removed from her. Blood poured out from the wound like a faucet. "Hang on sis, I'm almost done." As Elise got to work with her staff Leon and Corrin came rushing to the group, checking how their big sister was doing.

"Yeesh, that's quite the wound there sis," Leon said. "Good thing Michael here saw you when he did."

"Don't you worry about those gooks," Corrin said, "me and Leon did a little bit of taking out the trash." Her comments earned a raised brow from everyone present (even the mounts).

"Erm, Corrin?" Camilla said. "I appreciate you and Leon taking care of the enemy but, do you suppose that you could…"

"Not act like a racist?" Leon finished for Camilla. "Seriously, I just got through with a spear-man who was—"

"Aaand done!" Elise interrupted, finishing the healing process and shifting the conversation to something else. "That outta feel nice huh big sis?"

"Very nice Elise," Camilla said. "I still feel very drained though; that ninja certainly knew what he was doing back there."

"Was it a caltrop?" Leon asked.

"Yes."

"Those things need to be watched out for. The effects unfortunately last for a whopping eight minutes before going away completely, easing up a little for each minute that passes, so try to take it easy until the effects dissipate."

"You killed the ninja already?" Corrin asked.

"Yes," Camilla answered.

"That's good then. Michael, thank you for rescuing my elder sister from those goo—er, Hoshidans when you did."

"It was my pleasure Lady Corrin," the paladin said bowing. "Is there anything else I can do for you all?"

"No thank you; that will be all for now." Michael gave a quick salute and climbed atop of his horse before riding off. Once he was out of earshot and sight Leon and Camilla both glared at Corrin while Elise sheepishly looked away.

"We will discuss this behavior later young lady," Camilla said in a low tone. "For now let's focus on finding Xander."

"Knowing him he's probably on the other side of the river already," Leon suggested. "I don't think he needs much help against Ryouma but let's locate him just to be sure." With that everyone climbed onto their mounts while Corrin transformed into her dragon form before moving out. Corrin tried to keep her mind off of the earful she was guaranteed once they were back home provided they all survived, focusing on her next course of action: to steal the Yato-no-kami from Ryouma and use it to crush his army.

"Why are you doing this to us, Prince of Nohr?" Ryouma questioned. "First you kill our birth mother, then you kill our father and kidnap Corrin…and now _this‽_ The destruction of Shirasagi Castle Town, the death of our new mother, this whole invasion…It was _your_ doing, wasn't it?" Xander kept himself silent much to the ire of the Hoshido prince as the two of them stood in an isolated section in the plains. "Answer me!" How it was that a man with such a wild mane and the furious temper to match became prince was beyond Xander, but he wasn't there to observe his enemy. The accusations—though charged with a fire that would make any other man flinch—did little more than lightly agitate Xander.

"…I've no words for my enemy, nor do I wish to heed his words," the Nohrian prince spoke with quiet fury in his eyes, angering Ryouma further. "All you need to know is that we are here to conquer Hoshido. Surrender now and I will spare you and your army from the sting of Nohr. If not…then this is the part where you shall fall." When Xander prepared his attack his visage changed to Ryouma: his body became coated in a translucent golden sheen, his visage became overbearing with darkness surrounding his ruby eyes, and both he and his horse began exhaling flames of darkness. What was once a smog of darkness emanating from Siegfried was now a golden blaze, and Xander rushed at the Hoshidan prince as if he were a demon. Ryouma was caught off guard by the other man's appearance and took the blow in full force, feeling extremely faint afterwards and losing some of his armor as Xander lunged through him. Purple flames had been left behind on his body from the savage blow. He wasn't out of the fight just yet; as Xander's appearance returned to normal as he caught his breath for a moment, his enemy was ready to counterattack.

"Delay the first strike…" Ryouma growled under his breath, "…only to strike back twice as hard‼" Raijintou and the electricity coursing through it glowed a brilliant emerald color. Right before Ryouma rushed to slice at the Nohrian noble the Raijintou's edge briefly flashed red just as it did before he was hit. Xander realized that the Hoshidan prince was still capable of fighting a bit too late, raising his shield in an effort to block the strikes. It was futile; Ryouma avoided it and stabbed the man in his sides once, sending the Nohrian reeling from the power surging in him from one blow. Ryouma didn't let up either, slashing his enemy three times across his chest vertically and then finishing off the combo with a horizontal slash. Xander swore that the last strike made his sword arm feel dull and heavy. Ryouma was ready to strike again, but the instant he tried the purple flames that lingered on him exploded, scorching the prince more and causing him to step off for a moment. Now both of the royals had lost a fair deal of armor, with the sword saint and the paladin heavily injured and staring the other down.

"You won't win this…" Xander panted out. "The Nohrian army is far more experienced than Hoshido can prepare for…You're only delaying the inevitable…"

"If you think that we're going to let you invaders come and snatch our home away from us, then you have another thing coming to you prince of Nohr," Ryouma growled out. "Mark my words; Nohr will fail invariably against the indomitable spirit of Hoshido!" On the "Nohrian" side of the field the royal siblings made it close to the area where the brothers were dueling…only to find that the bridge to get to them both was collapsed. Anybody who could fly had no problems crossing over, but everyone else had to take the long way around, and the long way was jam-packed with troops duking it out.

"Just our luck," Corrin grumbled. "The damned bridge is out."

"How are we going to get to Xander now?" Elise whined. "I don't want to have to go the long way around and he looks like he's in trouble."

"Goodness gracious children…I assure you, nothing can get in the way of us royals for long. In fact, we have an easy solution for this."

"What do you mean?" Leon asked. "The bridges are out and the only quick way across is through the river stream. Obviously, horses can't cross water and you and Corrin are the only ones who can fly over there. I wish there was something we could do about this blasted water…if only we could get rid…of…it…" A eureka-moment came to Leon and he promptly smacked himself on the forehead. "Duh! How else would we get rid of this stream?"

"What, are you all referring to the—"

"Yes, our Dragon Veins!" Leon answered Corrin.

"I was wondering when it would come to you my genius baby brother," Camilla said in a teasing tone.

"Don't make fun of me sis."

"Fine, fine, or else you'll humiliate me. Anyways, why don't I handle this little issue?" Camilla's wyvern pulled up to the edge of the river and she cleared her thoughts of anything that didn't have to do with clearing the river. _"O' great Anankos, hallowed father who resides within the earth, heed your daughter's wish: grant me the strength to displace this body of water so that we may reach our fellow dragonkin…"_ Camilla channeled her latent dragon powers from within her core to her hands, manifesting as a ball of fire slowly burning into existence. _"I command this breath of fire that which scorches even the seas to make this vast river disappear‼"_ Camilla raised her hands and fired the fireball skyward, watching as it dove into the river. Within seconds the water was evaporating at a rapid pace until it was no more, reaching even its source further ahead.

"Awesome! The river's gone!" Elise cheered. "Now we can go help Xander out!…Kinda feel bad for the Hoshidans who use this river though."

"Quite. Have no worries my dear Elise; those who are descended from the dragons of old are very capable of restoring it to its former glory. But now is not that time."

"Now's the time to go make sure that Xander's not getting himself killed out there," Leon said. "And by the way Elise, you should probably hang back for a bit; stay close to us but don't go off far. Some of the Hoshidans here might try to take you hostage since you're not ready for combat yet. Just let me, Corrin, and Camilla handle the enemy troops." Hinoka was on her way to find Ryouma when she found the river completely gone.

"The heck?" Hinoka said. "What happened to the river? It was there just a second ago! Those accursed Nohrian troops— _no_ , the princes and princesses of Nohr dried it up with their Dragon Veins…I better hurry over to Ryouma and make sure he's fine. We've lost enough of our family already…" She gave her tenma a small gesture and she sped up her pace, scanning the ground below for her rider's brother. Soon she spotted Ryouma and Xander desperately dueling with each other, and much to her horror the rest of the Nohrian siblings were closing in on the two. She whinnied in distress hoping that Hinoka noticed. "What's wrong Shiida?" She whinnied again while pointing her head toward the Nohrians. "Oh no…no, no, no, nononono—" Hinoka didn't need to tell Shiida to speed up while Hinoka prayed that she could reach Ryouma before the royal siblings did.

"Heh, this wasn't that long of a long trip," Leon said. "Just a skip and a hop on over and we're almost—wait, look guys. What's that up there in the sky?"

"…Is it a bird?" Elise asked with a smile.

"Elise, I swear, you just couldn't wait to make that joke—"

"It's Princess Hinoka!" Corrin shouted.

"It is?" Leon asked. "Well I'll be damned, it _is_ her!"

"Shoot her down before she gets to Ryouma!" Everyone but Elise pulled out their tomes and began firing at the Hoshidan princess, barely missing her.

" _Gyahh‼_ " Hinoka yelped. "I am _not_ dying here today!" Her mount made a dive-bomb motion to reach the ground faster and to keep from getting blasted.

"She's almost there!" Corrin shouted. " _Shoot her!_ "

"We're _trying!_ " Leon shot back. Hinoka managed to evade all of the magic spells and touched down safely, and she found Ryouma still battling the Nohrian prince.

"Ryouma!" Hinoka called out, momentarily stopping the fight between the two royals.

"Hinoka?" Ryouma said. "What are you—"

"No time to talk! I'm getting you out of here!"

"But we're—"

"The other Nohrian royals are on their way here, so hurry!" Ryouma didn't have time to question Xander on why his siblings were trying to help when the duel was strictly between them, and as much as he hated backing out of a fight he didn't want to keep his younger sister waiting. Xander didn't want to let Ryouma go but he wasn't about to attack a fleeing opponent as much as he wanted to, especially with the duel ruined.

"This isn't over Xander!" Ryouma said to Xander as he took a seat behind Hinoka. With that Shiida tried taking off again, though with some difficulty now that the rather heavy Ryouma was seated on her. Just then Camilla, Corrin, Leon, and Elise arrived only to spot the Hoshidans barely escaping.

"There they are!" Corrin said. " _Now,_ _ **fire!**_ "

"Already on it!" Leon said. Before they could get to casting their tomes Xander stopped them.

"No," he commanded. "We're not going to attack fleeing opponents in the back. That's an act of cowardice and dishonor."

" _What‽_ " Corrin questioned. "But they're getting away Xander! We need to—"

"We will; we're allowing them just enough time to get their prince into fighting shape. We're pursuing them after we inspect our own army." Corrin could feel her blood boiling at how everyone simply let their enemy walk away to go recover. Still, she was smart enough to not mouth off to Xander, instead giving out a nearly inaudible sigh.

"I don't like it, but I'll have to trust your judgment on this one…"

"Thank you Corrin. I'd like to win this war with as little bloodshed as possible, and I know that may not please Father but we simply cannot go on solving all of our conflicts with annihilation of the enemy. If it can't be helped then yes, we will utterly destroy our enemy. For now, we'll give them some small amount of time to lick their wounds before they challenge us again."

"Sounds pretty idealistic there Xander." Leon asked. "You sure we can't simply follow and ambush them with their guards down?"

"I am certain we won't need to resort to that or other 'underhanded' tactics. When we win this war through pure military prowess this will help us smooth things over with the conquered natives afterwards."

"Ah, I see. Don't have them think we're complete monsters even as we're conquering their lands and taking down their army. This will give us a better chance to repair our broken relations."

"Precisely."

"Let me fix you up real quick bro before you say anything else," Elise said, not wanting him to trudge all the way back to their side of the battlefield in his current condition. She pulled out her recover staff and poured her magical energy into the staff, bathing her elder brother in a bright light. In a moment, all of the injuries he had had almost completely vanished, though he was still very much sore.

"Thank you Elise. This should do for some time. Now let's get moving." Everyone climbed back onto their mounts and began to take off; Corrin was about to transform and fly until Xander stopped her for a second. "Corrin? I would ask you to stay as close to the rest of us as possible. I know it still seems like I don't trust you enough to make rational decisions, but with the war heating up the way it is I'm concerned you may do something rash with the Hoshidans being around."

"Yes brother…" Xander gave his sister an understanding smile hoping to cheer her up, succeeding somewhat. The group traveled across the dried up river in silence, focused on checking on their troops. Meanwhile, back with the Hoshidan, Ryouma was healed up to a fighting condition be Sakura, expressing gratitude that Hinoka retrieved him when she did.

"How was he Ryouma?" Takumi asked.

"He was the closest thing that I can call an equal," Ryouma answered. "His swordplay is unlike anything I've ever seen before, second only to father's swordplay of course."

"So basically, no one here but you stands a chance against him."

"If you want to put it that way, then yes."

"You think that the Nohrians are coming here right now?"

"I know so. They wouldn't just let us get away to come back later when we're guaranteed to beat them by then."

"I wonder how the others are doing…" Sakura said.

"That's what I want to know about too," Kamui echoed. "I just hope that they're all okay out there."

"They'll be fine," Hinoka said to reassure her younger siblings. "We may have trained them to apprehend brigands from within Hoshido but we trained them well."

"I agree," Ryouma said. "They're our finest troops; all of them are here because they were meant to be, each one of them a beautiful snowflake in their own right." Nobody could argue against that, not even Takumi the resident cynic of the bunch. "I have full confidence that we'll all succeed in this battle. But, it can't hurt to go see them, just to let them know that we're here for them." Again, there were no arguments being made and the Hoshidan royals set out to locate their army.

* * *

 _"For Hoshido's peace‼"_

 _"For Nohr's glory‼"_

Further south in the plains was the rest of the army battling with one another. The general army was handling the other standard army, while prominent figures of both Hoshido and Nohr were engaged with each other. Two such figures had just gotten through disposing their enemies: a Nohrian cavalry knight and her sellsword partner.

"Yay! Peri wins!" the cotton-candy haired girl shouted in joy. "Peri's kill count go up thanks to Laslow!"

"I know," the sellsword said, searching his fallen enemy for anything of use. "Remember, the dance's effects only last a full minute just like your vampiric ability."

"Peri knows, so let's go-go-go!"

"In a second Pieri; I just gotta get these things hooked right…" Laslow's partner turned to him with a confused look on her face and saw him attaching the fallen samurai's weaponry to him, more specifically three different katana.

"What they for?"

"They're for helping us deal with other troops. Nothing like using the enemy's own weaponry against them eh?" After he got the three weapons attached properly the man was about to hop onto his partner's horse and give her the signal to take off, but two figures out of the corner of his eye caught his attention; an injured red-haired ninja and a yellow-garbed female ninja were trudging by unnoticed by anyone else, and the female ninja was helping carry her partner on her shoulder.

"They ninjas Laslow?" Pieri asked in a whisper readying her weapons.

"Yeah, they are," Laslow answered. "That man is Saizou and his partner is Kagerou—Prince Ryouma's retainers—to be specific. Lord Xander probably won't approve of attacking fleeing parties like this, but two less Hoshidan royal retainers are two less problems to worry about." His hand inched close to the wakizashi strapped to his back, slowly unsheathing it little by little and preparing to throw the katana at the injured ninja. As fate would have it though, Saizou spotted the mercenary and pulled out one of his explosive stars in a flash. Though he flung one at Laslow as fast as he could he failed to hit him. Laslow wasn't as unfortunate in striking his opponent, hitting the ninja dead in his shoulder and rendering that arm less useful. Pieri tried blasting Saizou with her levin edge but Kagerou deflected the magic lightning bolt with her vambrace blades. Now realizing that they had been spotted the two Hoshidans decided that there was no other option but to fight back.

"Exactly what we needed to deal with…" Saizou snarled, "More Nohrian troops."

"Easy Saizou," Kagerou said to her partner. "You're in little condition to fight efficiently; I don't want you getting killed out here." Proving her point Saizou clutched his impaled shoulder in extreme pain and attempted to remove the katana until it disappeared. It returned to Laslow and Kagerou inspected her partner's wounds to see why it hurt as bad as it did; his blood contained traces of snake venom in it, and with a fierce glare Kagerou and Saizou turned their eyes to Laslow.

"You're a ninja?" Saizou growled. "Another reason to have you dead."

"Don't get the wrong idea sir," Laslow said. "I do not hail from Hoshido like other ninjas; I simply learned the trade from an individual during my visit from a long time ago."

"It matters not who you learned ninjutsu from or why; you know the techniques of a ninja and that makes you a larger threat to Hoshido; you must be eliminated."

"No you don't!" Pieri called out. "Peri kill bad ninjas so they no kill Laslow!" Ignoring Laslow's warnings about the explosive star's side effects Pieri raised her levin edge to strike the weakened Saizou with a lightning bolt once again, but Saizou was quicker on the draw and flung an explosive dart at her, messing up her attack long enough for the boosts she received earlier to dissipate completely; it was enough for Saizou to narrowly dodge the lightning bolt afterward. He wasn't as lucky enough to dodge a second attack from Laslow, but much to his luck Kagerou caught the wakizashi between her vambrace blades and tossed it aside before it reached him.

"Saizou, get behind me," Kagerou ordered.

"You need me to—"

"I want you to stay safe; Hoshido and Lord Ryouma need you alive, now do it." Saizou didn't like being ordered around by anyone except for Ryouma but he understood Kagerou's reasoning and complied.

"Touching," Laslow commented, "but wouldn't you be as valuable as Saizou to Hoshido and Ryouma? If they lose you then Saizou's liable to perish out here as well. It would be better for you to flee while you have the chance."

"Are you suggesting that I abandon my ally?"

"Not at all ma'am, but do keep in mind that we're here to conquer you; you can stay and fight us or you can run. It's up to you."

"I'm not so foolish to believe that I can escape you immediately; I'll remain here and fight you both if only to wear you down."

"Well then, you're certainly welcome to try." Laslow regretted his words almost immediately as Kagerou nicked Pieri harshly with a silver shuriken in the blink of an eye. In a half-enraged half-panicked state the cavalier switched to her miniature javelin and charged at Kagerou full speed, but her attack was parried by Saizou. Laslow saw an opportunity to attack once more but this time he used the dual katana that he took and tried to run Kagerou through with it. Saizou saw this attack coming as well and defended his partner from it in time. The two Nohrians quickly backed off of the ninjas afterward.

"Urgh, Peri no feel good…" the knight whined feeling the nauseous snake venom burn inside her.

"Those were pretty powerful shuriken that they used," Laslow stated. "Why don't you stay back for a little bit? I'm more experienced with dealing with ninjas anyhow."

"S-Sure, Peri feel sick now…"

"That evened the odds Nohrians," Kagerou said. "Perhaps now we have an opportunity to win."

"Oh-ho, do you now?" Laslow asked smugly. "I've had my fair share of scuffles against stealthy foes such as yourselves thanks to my ninja training. And besides, we Nohrians know much about your army already, so it's only a matter of time until we eventually prevail over you."

"You can 'study' us all you want; without real training against an experienced Hoshidan warrior you have no guaranteed victory."

"You want to test that theory my lady? Alright, let's have at it then." Laslow readied his dual katana and began to approach the Hoshidan with as much skill and speed as he demonstrated earlier, and Kagerou braced herself for the attack. Meanwhile, another group of a Hoshidan and Nohrian pair squared off with each other, and the Hoshidans were on the offensive.

"Get out of our lands invaders!" a female samurai wreathed in a light blue wind shouted as she rushed at a red-haired sellsword. She failed to hit her enemy but her tenma warrior partner didn't, blindsiding her with his golden naginata and quickly retreating out of her range before she could strike back. The mercenary kept her cool and lunged at the samurai with her sword, though she failed to hit her enemy by a large margin; her wyvern knight partner moved in to slash the samurai with her axe but she too missed to land a hit on her right before the blue-wind aura disappeared from the Hoshidan. "Now Tsubaki!"

"Already on it Kazahana," the tenma warrior said, readying his spear as a blue-and-green wind aura surrounded him. His tenma swooped toward the mercenary and despite her efforts to dodge him she was caught by a strike from his weapon once again, nearly choking with how close to her lung he hit her. Before she could try to get away from Tsubaki he struck her again in her left arm, grazing it when she had turned to evade. The wyvern knight moved in to protect her partner from Kazahana's attack but she was up against a tricky fighter; Kazahana simply went around the dragoon to slash the reeling mercenary successfully with her katana before backing off as fast as she could. The mercenary was patient and collected however, and the moment she saw an opportunity she threw out a swift slash at Tsubaki, successfully managing to get a hit on him. The glimmers of light that painted his body disappeared and he quickly moved to avoid getting hit by the other Nohrian soldier.

 _'What the hell?'_ the mercenary cursed to herself. _'Tsubaki's not supposed to be this fast. He's the least agile and mobile tenma warrior in Hoshido's army. What's going on…? No, don't pay attention to how fast he is right now Selena. Just clear your mind and focus your energies for a bit.'_

"Didn't you hear me?!" Kazahana yelled out to the mercenary and wyvern rider. "You're not welcome in our homelands! Leave or die!" Both Nohrians remained silent and Selena stood as still as possible while the Hoshidans watched her closely to see what she would do next. In an instant, a few of the injuries she had sustained had gone away in a glow of various colors, and she felt more ready to attack Kazahana and Tsubaki. In her surprise at what the Nohrian had done, the female samurai was not prepared for when Selena's partner snuck an attack on her; the wyvern knight had gone up into the air when the Hoshidans were distracted with Selenas inactivity, and her assassin's axe came down silent and deadly on Kazahana, slicing her torso partially open and shredding some of her attire. Tsubaki barely registered what had happened once he heard Kazahana's gasping scream, and in a hurry he rushed to his partner's aid; Selena got to her first, seizing the opening her partner created and not wanting to be outdone in any way, landing a similar jumping slash on the samurai and knocking her down to the ground.

"No! Kazahana!" Tsubaki yelled trying to make it and save the woman from Selena's next attack, but when Selena raised her sword to finish Kazahana off something strange happened; the mercenary felt something very sharp thrust itself into her midsection as she was about to impale the samurai, who miraculously survived, and she found that the samurai's katana was jammed into her and coming out through her back.

"I'm not telling you this again…" Kazahana growled. _"Leave. Or die!"_ With a vicious yank she ripped her blade out from Selena, tearing flesh and bone from her and sending her staggering back. It didn't last long and despite her wounds the mercenary tried to finish off Kazahana again. The samurai evaded the fatal swing even as she clutched her torso tight, and Selena's partner barely missed her. By then Tsubaki had reached Kazahana and swooped her off of the ground with ease. Once they were out of attacking range, the tenma warrior prepared himself for the second assault from Selena and her partner while he tried to escape.

"Oh no you don't…" Selena growled out in a hoarse voice, climbing onto her partner's mount. "Think you can catch them before they get away Beruka?" The wyvern knight gave a short nod and signaled for her mount to give chase. Tsubaki already had a head start in retreating to a medic but he found that Beruka and Selena were catching up to him and fast. The Nohrians were slightly lighter than them and his tenma was not particularly good with handling multiple passengers. Tsubaki wondered how he could get the pursuing pair off of his tail until he remembered his shinrai naginata. He took the weapon out and tried firing off a lightning bolt with it, failing to hit Beruka and Selena while Beruka took out a tomahawk to throw. The large axe only missed Tsubaki by a hair and he knew that he had to play smart to get rid of the Nohrians. Not too soon an idea formed itself, and he turned to give Kazahana a warning.

"Listen, I'm going to try and lose these two but I need you to hold on to me as tight as you can alright?" Kazahana nodded her head in understanding and held the man in a vice-grip with both of her arms; once Tsubaki knew that Kazahana was holding on tight enough to not fall off he had his tenma perform a quick shuttle loop while Beruka was as close as she could get behind him. Kazahana did her best not to scream out in agony as she had to endure going upside down with a torn body.

"What the—?" Selena wondered aloud. "Where did they—" The mercenary realized what Tsubaki was doing in short notice, but she remembered too late. Beruka snapped her head about to see where the man and his mount had gone, only to take an electrified slash to her ribs from a shinrai naginata. Faltering a little Beruka tried switching her weapons to counterattack but Tsubaki was too fast to allow for it and struck her again while heading the opposite direction, this time managing to hit the wyvern as well and causing the Nohrian trio to drop to the ground.

"Yes! It worked!" Tsubaki cheered. With the three Hoshidans safe for the moment Tsubaki's tenma kicked his speed up a notch and made a beeline toward the area where the two vassals last saw Sakura. "Hang on Kazahana, I'll get us back to Lady Sakura in no time and she'll fix you up good as new." His only response was a shuddering gasp but he knew that Kazahana had faith in him to fly them to safety. _'It's a good thing I took those tonics before we left, otherwise I may not have been able to pull off some of those things I did. I wish I took an elixir or two so we don't have to find a healer, but we'll be able to manage without any I suppose.'_ Meanwhile, Selena and Beruka were patching themselves up after Tsubaki's surprise he had for them.

"Damn that tenma warrior," Selena cursed. "It's not like they call him a genius for nothing, but still." Selena wrapped a bandage around Beruka's midsection where she was stabbed after giving her the last of her own vulnerary. In little time afterward Beruka was able to at least stand properly again and Selena—who had her own medical sash around her—helped walk her partner back on top of her treated wyvern, climbing on after Beruka was seated firmly on her mount.

"Thanks…" Beruka said in a low tone which hadn't gone unnoticed.

"You're most certainly welcome girlfriend," Selena said with a smile. "Now let's go find a medic before we do anything else. These bandages work well but they're not as good as getting your body fixed up, and I don't want to risk running into another 'Tsubaki'." Beruka nodded and signaled her wyvern to take off, just letting the dragon remove them from the battlefield at his own pace. The manner they were leaving caught the eye of an eyepatched Nohrian outlaw for a brief moment.

"Hm? Is that Selena and Beruka?" he asked while he and his partner trekked through the woods. "Looks like they bit off more than what they could swallow. They'd best be careful for these bowmen out here."

"Fear not Niles," his yellow garbed dark mage partner told him, "for we Nohrians have received the blessings of Anankos to overcome our enemies. Soon the Hoshidan army shall bear witness to the vast strength passed down through the Nohrian peoples for generations."

"…You need to stop reading those fantasy novels Odinn."

"Hey, I've never even—" Something out of the corner of his eye caught Niles's attention; a Hoshidan archer was taking aim at the two of them from behind some trees. Cutting off Odinn's rambling Niles grabbed and yanked the dark mage to the ground, making the arrow whizz past the pair. In retaliation Niles pulled out a bow and nocked it at his bow of pain, letting an arrow fly in the direction of the archer. The projectile missed as expected, with the archer taking cover behind a tree. Odinn took out his ebon grimoire in an effort to draw the archer out from hiding, casting the spell at the tree rather than to its sides; his plan worked, as the archer immediately leapt from the tree to find another hiding point.

"Not today Hoshidan trooper!" Odinn called out, running up to the archer and casting a spell on her before she could ready another arrow. Niles was not too far behind Odinn when he let loose another arrow, striking his target dead on. The archer thought that the arrow was going to kill her but she somehow survived the fatal blow; she soon found out why she wasn't killed as she was tripped to the ground while one of the Nohrians held her down.

"Oh…it looks like I've been caught…" she spoke casually making little effort to escape.

"Can't have you poking holes into our army now can we, Miss Setsuna?" Niles said as he pulled out a chain to bind her with. "Hinoka will simply have to make do without you." As Odinn kept Setsuna pinned down Niles was just about to cuff her arms together behind her back, but as soon as he touched her the archer magically vanished into thin air. Confused, the two Nohrians looked around to find her but she was gone. "Darn, broke out the cage before I could get a taste."

"It looked like someone whisked her away with a Rescue rod. My guess was that it was Asama, her partner."

"Oh for crying out loud…come Odinn. We can't let her and her 'mystery' savior is escape us."

"Right then. After all, where there is light there is darkness." The two Nohrians began stalking around the woods to spot the disappeared archer, unaware that she was no longer on ground level, sitting in a tree with her monk partner who was feeding her with his a dango rod.

"Thank you Asama," Setsuna said softly as she munched on her food, healing her damage. "You're so nice."

"You're most welcome Setsuna," Asama replied. "It helps that you're becoming too entertaining to simply let go off by now. Those Nohrians sure are a handful though, aren't they?"

"Yuh-huh."

"We're going to need a new strategy to deal with those two. Hmmmm…I know, why not put that ninja training of yours to use and chase after them from the treetops? After you attack, I'll pull you back to me using Rescue; that way we can lead them around wrong turns and defeat them by wearing them out little by little. I'll be nearby but not close enough for them to hit me, otherwise this plan has a good chance of failing. Oh, and try to focus on which one you hit and where you'll hit next okay?"

"Okay." With that Setsuna and Asama moved to catch up to the Nohrians who went on ahead in search of the "missing" archer, making as little noise as they could.

"Setsuna's—for all her slow-witted self—is a pretty large pain once she starts acting competent, you know that right?" Niles said to Odinn.

"I know," Odinn replied. "She's got ninja training just like Laslow."

"Exactly. That alone makes her more difficult to deal with because she's also an archer; she's not likely to engage you nearby because of her weapon type's weakness, so she's practiced how to fight efficiently from a good distance away and out of sight. And she's among the fastest people alive; if she were a ninja instead of an archer then we'd have even more trouble against her. If we catch her though, just like we did earlier, she'll stand little chance against us. So let's keep an eye out for her."

"Heh, you said 'eye'."

"Yes, yes, I get it. I'm one-eyed. Asama is also not to be overlooked; for a magic unit he's the least efficient at using powerful scrolls and rods but he's on the physically sturdy side, Anankos forbid that he promoted to Great Master already." Setsuna had already found the pair, nocking an arrow at her rather loose bow. As shaky as the bow was making her aim she held fast that she would land a hit and let the projectile fly toward Niles. The arrow whizzed toward him so fast he couldn't hear it coming, thus he took the arrow in the back of his left knee cap. Taken by complete surprise, Niles yanked the arrow out of him and switched his weapon to a shining bow in haste, firing a magical arrow in the direction that Setsuna attacked him from; he failed to hit her. Recovering from his shock, Odinn tried scanning their surroundings to listen for the archer and readied his tome. Setsuna noticed this and fired another arrow, deliberately aiming for the ground two trees away from where she hid. Odinn fell for the trick and cast his spell behind the tree where he thought Setsuna would be, only to find no one jump out from behind it this time. In surprise, Odinn then tried helping Niles to his feet while the man tried to fight through the pain of the snake venom burning in him.

"You okay Niles?" Odinn asked in a normal tone of voice for once.

"I've been through worse than this, so yeah, I'm just peachy. Setsuna won't be once I find her though."

"She had best pray to whatever Gods she believes in." By then Setsuna leapt to the next three trees over and took aim at Odinn, letting her arrow fly straight into the dark mage's tome arm. This time her aim wasn't as good so she only grazed his arm, and he quickly retaliated by firing his spell in her direction. Setsuna hurried over to the next tree to avoid getting hit but that was when she made her mistake; in her haste she was loud when moving to another spot and Niles's lone eye caught a glimpse of her through the tree leaves.

"Got'cha…" Niles said with a wicked smile forming on his face. A devilish wind gusted around him and he prepared another arrow while waiting until the archer was comfortable in her new vantage point. He shot the magic projectile at her with no warning, aiming for her leg as she did him. Setsuna barely registered that a projectile was actually headed her way and took the arrow in her knee, causing her to slip and nearly fall from her spot.

"Uh-oh," Asama said, pouring magic energy into his Rescue rod and cast it at Setsuna, whisking her away before Odinn could pay her back for scraping his arm. With his partner out of harm's way he got to work in "healing" her with a dango rod once more. Again Setsuna devoured the treat and felt some of her strength returning to her, but they didn't have much time to give courtesies as Niles and Odinn closed in on the spot they hid in.

"Setsuna and Asama, sitting in a tree…" Niles said humorously.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Odinn said finishing the joke, though he earned an unamused glance from his partner. "Oh come on. You were setting up the joke."

"I wasn't actually going to finish it, just letting the gravity of their situation sink into them. So, are we done playing hide and seek?" There was no reply from the two Hoshidans who tried to sneak away as quietly as they could, believing that they hadn't been spotted yet. "You know, as much as I like when people play hard to get, it's the end of line for you two." With the two found out they attempted getting away but the Nohrians weren't having any of that; to keep the mind games out of play he decided to target Asama with a silver bow he had on him, nailing him in the back as the monk turned to escape and knocking him out of the trees onto the ground. As Niles expected, Setsuna immediately jumped down to assist the fallen monk, and Odinn was just about to conjure his spell once more. Before he could attack a very sudden blast of lightning from above struck Niles beside him making him jump in surprise. Some of Niles's attire was burnt off of him and the outlaw began to feel faint from the sheer power of the attack. Odinn wondered where the lightning bolt came from but he refocused his efforts and intended on finishing Asama off with a charged blast from his black tome, not hearing Niles trying to warn him.

"By the power invested within me by the Great Anankos, I hereby banish you to the shadow realm of death!" Performing a backflip and crossing his arms Odinn unleashed his charged spell at the monk.

"Odinn, don't!"

"What? I'm finishing him off!" Odinn looked to where Asama was and saw that his spell struck him as he intended; it knocked Asama back down after Setsuna helped him to his feet. Worried but determined, Setsuna pulled out another bow and tried to attack the Nohrians, but another lightning bolt from above striking Odinn down made her change her mind, and with both of the Nohrians in poor condition she hurried to get Asama and get out of the area.

"Bye…" Setsuna said, lifting Asama so that he was on her shoulder, and the pair ran to get away from Odinn and Niles. While the Nohrian outlaw was not content with his prey escaping he did not want to risk the two of them getting killed despite the fight effectively being rendered two to one. Instead he went over to Odinn and yanked him up so that he could stand.

"I tried to warn you," Niles said. "Asama has a defense mechanism that counterattacks foes while he's defenseless. He is also known for surviving lethal attacks as with all monks and priestesses."

"Then how come you attacked him?" Odinn asked.

"I thought that I would kill him with one blow," Niles said. "Apparently I was far from doing that, and I paid for it."

"So, we're just letting them go?"

"Yes, we are. It won't happen again the next time we see them I assure you. And I'm not going to risk getting us both killed out here like this."

"…As much as every fiber in my being screams against retreating and letting the enemy escape, I guess I'll take your word for it. Mark my words Hoshidans, for we shall meet again. The darkness always catches up to the light, and when it does night shall prevail." Not wanting to get into another altercation with the Hoshidans the two troops made their way out of the woods through a different route than the one Setsuna and Asama took. Back in the plains the war raged on with various emotions running high between the fighters of Hoshido and Nohr. One such warrior from Hoshido's side was a woman wearing an orange colored spear samurai kimono, and she moved as though she was possessed by a demon of fury, cutting down and through every Nohrian soldier she came upon. A mercenary attempted to jump slash her but she dodged the attack via circle strafing, immediately countering by impaling him with her lacquered naginata. She pulled her weapon out from him only to finish him off with a dual-slash combo to decapitate her foe. As soon as the Nohrian dropped dead she could feel her arms grow a little heavier from using her weapon rather ruthlessly, and it was then that her partner—a sword samurai dressed in purple—had caught up to her feeling somewhat winded.

"Oboro?" the man said out of breath, "Do you think you can…slow down for a bit? I know that you want these guys gone and I do too but—"

"Lord Takumi said grant no enemy any quarter here," Oboro said cutting her partner off. "If you can't handle it then stay off of the battlefield Hinata."

"It's less of me not being able to handle it and more of me worrying that you're pushing yourself too much."

"I know that we're partners but you should really worry about yourself out here. I'm doing just fine." To prove her point to the man she switched her weapon out to a dual naginata and lunged straight at a fighter with a jumping swipe, quickly backing off of the fighter in time to dodge his counterattack. Oboro followed up her initial attack with a throat stab, taking the fighter's head off with one clean afterward. Hinata tried not to cringe while Oboro brought her attention to him. "They're not holding back any so you shouldn't either, else you're as good as dead."

"I know that it's just…never mind." Changing the subject Hinata engaged a bastion knight with his custom made katana, dealing great damage to the soldier thanks to taking the initiative and shedding some of the Nohrian's armor. Seeing an opening Oboro quickly dashed in to strike the enemy's newly exposed area; the knight staggered for a little and steeled himself to attack, though his low speed and injuries held him back from actually dealing a blow on the fast samurai. Both samurai decided to catch their breaths for a moment, leaving their opponent free to take a swig of an elixir he had on him, having waited until the right time to use it. When Hinata and Oboro saw this they immediately kicked themselves into gear to finish the knight off for good, but the goal was postponed when a cavalier came into the picture, using a silver lance to give Hinata the worst surprise attack he ever had. With the knight back at full strength he used his own silver lance to pay the Hoshidan back for making him so vulnerable, missing Hinata's heart but scraping some of his ribs inside. As the knight moved to gain some distance away from his attackers Hinata in a fit of desperation lashed out at the knight's exposed area, hitting the knight half as hard as the knight did him. The Nohrian reeled from the attack and Hinata turned his attention to the cavalier, striking him and his horse in one swing with a fierce jump-slash and dodging the counterattack. Oboro was not too far behind in attacking the cavalier, slashing upward at mount and rider; while she didn't evade his counterattack she did manage to strike him down for good with a good stab to his heart through his armor.

"One down," Oboro growled, "and one more to go." The knight decided to attack Hinata instead, being familiar with the special effects of his weapon. Hinata still evaded his slower opponent and even in his further weakened state he delivered one last blow that sealed the Nohrian's fate, putting all of his remaining strength into the thrust to obliterate the front of his forehead and brain. The knight dropped dead twitching and Oboro walked up to him patting him on the back. "Nice one Hinata."

"Hah…it wasn't easy with these drops in strength…"

"Still, it's nice to see that you aren't going soft on them."

"I…um, thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now hurry up and take your breather break, 'cause we still have some crackers to break up."

"Goddamned _racists!_ " a Nohrian grunt's voice yelled in rage. Hinata and Oboro turned to see another cavalier suddenly break toward them with silver lance. Hinata and Oboro prepared themselves for the soldier's attack, but the attack never came because a sky blue arrow of condensed wind barreled straight toward the Nohrian, striking him with enough force to knock him off of his horse and dissipating after carving a hole in his chest. He landed hard with a thud, and the second he tried getting back up a blue lightning bolt from above forced him back down in a convulsing mass, ending him. The two Hoshidans recognized the two projectiles and turned to their saviors: the Hoshidan royal family had caught up to them.

"Lord Takumi!" Hinata and Oboro said in joy meeting his confident grin.

"You're all here!" Hinata exclaimed in surprise. "I thought that you were battling Prince Xander, Lord Ryouma."

"I was, but Hinoka got me out of there before the other Nohrian royals could ambush me."

"Tch, typical," Oboro snorted. "So, what brings you all here?"

"We're here to help you with clean-up day," Takumi said. "Now that the whole family is here we're ready to kick these crackers' asses!"

" _Language_ Takumi!" Hinoka reprimanded.

"Why? I—" He was going to argue that they were all adults there until he remembered that little Sakura was there with them. "…Oops…Just pretend you didn't hear anything okay little sis?"

"Um, okay," Sakura said somewhat confused and flustered.

"No racism or swearing in front of Sakura okay?" Hinoka said. "I know that these Nohrians are very much detestable, but that doesn't make what you're doing any better. Sakura will pick up on those habits of yours if you do it too often, and you're not old enough to be swearing anyhow."

"Oh my gods," Takumi said in annoyance of being reminded that he's not an adult. "What _ever_ sis."

"Don't you 'whatever sis' _me_ , baby brother."

"I—you—can you _not_ call me—"

"Enough!" Sakura shouted, stopping Hinoka's and Takumi's argument from escalating. "We have a battle to win, and you're embarrassing yourselves along with the rest of us."

"Pffft, they're not embarrassing me," Hinata quipped. "The only ones they're embarrassing here is themselves."

"Quiet soldier," Takumi threw out in a flat but serious tone that he knew Hinata feared.

"Eep, y-yessir."

"Lady Sakura!" Tsubaki's voice came from the skies, his tenma trying as hard as he could to make a smooth landing with the two wounded on his back. As soon as he touched down his rider carefully slid off of him and had his arms wrapped around the near-unconscious Kazahana. "Kazahana needs to get healed immediately, she's dying!" As Tsubaki cautiously hoisted his partner off of his mount and carried her everybody crowded around the two of them, with Sakura inspecting her best friend's condition to see the severity of her wound. Everyone's heart caught in their throats when they saw her torso torn open, and Kazahana was desperately clutching it closed to keep from having her insides spill out. Sakura kept herself from crying seeing Kazahana in agony and hastily pulled out a winter festival rod; the flashing images of snowflakes and o-fuda spun swiftly around the trio of Sakura, Tsubaki, and Kazahana, and the injured samurai was illuminated in a translucent blue glow. Little by little her torso closed up in the likeness of being sewn back together, and matching the pace her body was being healed Kazahana's features found themselves relaxing. When he opening had been completely closed Kazahana looked as tranquil as can be, and her eyes slowly opened themselves after being clamped shut for a long time. Sakura's smiling face was painted with tears rolling down her cheeks, and she quickly hugged the healed woman as relief and worry flooded out from the girl.

"K-Kazahana…" Sakura cried softly, "I was scared that you wouldn't make it…"

"It's all thanks to you of course," Kazahana said slowly returning the hug with a smile. "I live for you milady, if nothing else. I'd never allow myself to die so long as you have need of me. Oh, and thanks to Tsubaki and his tenma for getting us out of there. I would have died out there if they weren't so capable."

"We strive for excellence Kazahana," Tsubaki quipped. "Naturally, we'd be in fair condition to be of service to our kingdom." Right then Tsubaki felt a stinging feeling in his arm, almost dropping Kazahana even though she could stand properly. He almost forgot about the one wound Selena inflicted on him, and Hinoka walked up to him with her vulnerary.

"Here," she said. "This ought to heal your arm."

"More like his _pole_ arm," Hinata quipped. "Get it?" Everyone had gotten the joke, but only Kamui and Sakura found it genuinely funny and laughed. Everyone else either gave him an annoyed look or a flat stare. Hinata chuckled nervously to himself attempting to lighten the mood once more. "Come on guys, it's funny! It's okay to laugh!"

"You're not funny," Oboro plainly stated, making Hinata groan in annoyance.

"Aw, you guys are no fun."

"Oh, no, we're _totally_ fun," Takumi said. "It's just that your sense of humor stinks, just like something else of yours that I know."

"Hey!" That was something that everyone laughed at, all but Kamui and Sakura.

"Isn't that a little mean to say Takumi?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but it's funny because it's completely true." Hinata groaned even louder, causing everyone else to laugh even louder except for—again—Kamui and Sakura.

"I think it's about time that we go search for the others," Ryouma said calming down. "That way when we're all together as a cohesive unit, nothing Nohr can throw our way will deter us."

"That may actually serve to weaken our army as a whole. With all of us together we're very much susceptible to a trap that the Nohrians may have set for us, making us all pay the price. It would also make attacking our enemies a little more difficult given the decreased amount of space to fight with and…You know what, that might not be such a bad idea after all. Let's go fetch the rest of our gang then, and hopefully they're not dead already."

 _ **Theme: ARE YOU LISTENING?**_

On the Nohrians' side were two individuals trudging along the empty plains, worn from whatever long trip they endured; it was a blonde Nohrian man decked out in a red, white, and blue fighter attire and a silver haired woman clad in pink and gold bastion armor. While the woman's appearance looked pristine aside of messy hair and a tired expression, the man looked as though he fell into a swamp, got hit by a stray cart on the way out, and was struck by lightning mere seconds ago. Together the two walked and managed to catch up to the rest of their comrades to pitch in and defeat Hoshido's army.

"Haahh…haahh…Here we stand…ready to make new history…for today…is the day…that Nohr shall triumph over Hoshido, and we, the great keepers of justice, shall succeed in this mission!" the blonde man proclaimed as grand as he could despite looking much of a fool to everyone else. "Sir Arthur Harold Pendragon, and Lady Elphemia Tarth, loyal vassals of Lady Elise Plantagenet, are here to bring Nohr glory and victory!" The man stood proud with a wide grin and hands on his hips akin to a superhero puffing his chest, and his partner attempted to get into the spirit of things and struck a pose alongside him. Their less-than-ideal appearances, namely the man's utterly hot mess of a figure and the woman's disheveled features contrasting her cheer, failed to inspire confidence in the other troops; it instead brought about a fit of hysterical laughter from them. Naturally, Elise's two vassals stopped smiling afterward.

"Maybe we should be more direct with them…" Elphie suggested.

 _ **Theme: WOLEB TSAP**_

"*ahem*…Alright, listen up troops!" That got them all to stop their giggle fits immediately and they stood to attention to hear their commander out. "The Hoshidan army is a force to be reckoned with, but we know that we're more than a match for them! And for the sake of Nohr, we _must_ win this battle! Too long have we suffered from poverty, hunger, resource drought, lawlessness, and much more, and Hoshido denied Nohr the means to remedy these issues with no proper justification! They've even rejected our suffering refugees who sought help and they've stolen an important person from us a long time ago when they were too young to remember it: Prince Kamui!"

"Now, are we going to stand idly while the Hoshidans continue to offend us with these grievances?!" Arthur bellowed. "Are we not the upholders of justice, or are we a bunch of dilly-dallying cowards?!" A loud roar of "upholders of justice" rang out upon Arthur's rousing. "We are brave men and women who fight for the greater good and punish those who would dare threaten it! I swear it by the name of the great heroes of Nohr who fought to bring us all out of despair that light shall shine down upon our kingdom once more!"

"Hoshido has forced our hand to retaliate against them, and though they have done horrible things to us we are only here to conquer their land to rebuild Nohr. Justice will come to them in due time, but this battle is nothing more than bringing us one step closer to rebuilding our home and reclaiming the young prince who was stolen. With this in mind, we must succeed! For Nohr!" The two vassals of Elise raised their weapons high with a war cry, instilling the same emotions they felt into their troops, and they marched ahead of the troops to lead them into the battle.

"Hoshidan troops are headed straight toward us! Give them everything you've got troops! _Charge!_ " Never had there been any mightier roars than that of Arthur's and Elphie's platoon, and never had the Hoshidans crashed against any other foe with such force. The Nohrians threw such unrestrained fury at the Hoshidans that one would assume that they had all been possessed. In a sense the notion was true; each Nohrian were entranced by a powerful conviction of justice and victory. The area was decorated with the sounds of blades and magic clashing against each other, composing an orchestra of war.

"Taste my righteous wrath man of Hoshido!" Arthur shouted as he leapt high into the air and delivered a most devastating swing upon a ninja with his custom axe, felling him in one attack. A sword samurai was rushing toward Arthur and prepared a swift overhead slash to avenge his fallen comrade, but he failed to hit the infamously unlucky fighter. The Nohrian fighter of justice quickly punished the Hoshidan for whiffing the attack, destroying the light armor hugging the trooper's chest with a single swing. Elphie dashed out from beside Arthur and promptly drove her great pike through the man's chest, impaling his heart out through his back and leaving the samurai to collapse in a heap.

"Think you need some extra help?" Elphie asked.

"Any extra help is always good help." Arthur said grinning. "So, which stance shall we adopt? Tag Team or Pair-Up?"

"Pair-Up. You'll be the axe and I'll be the shield."

"The usual strategy I see. Not that I'm adverse to it; we're rather good partners in this formation." Elphie put her weapon into a sheath on her shield and held her shield to her front as she and Arthur moved like one force. A divine mage attempted to ambush Arthur with the Rabbit Spirit scroll, but Elphie halted the ethereal rabbit's tracks with her shield, causing the animal to break into specks of light upon making contact. Arthur flashed Elphie a winking smile and a thumbs-up before they both ran up to the divine mage. Arthur took a vertical slash at the warrior who attempted to block the attack, using the o-fuda as a makeshift shield. He paid for his mistake with his spell arm, and he immediately paid for the decision with his life when Arthur lopped his head off. Right afterward though, Arthur took a surprise arrow to his unarmored arm from an archer, doing nothing to weaken the man's blow when he came for him, trying in vain to draw an arrow on his daikyuu as the Nohrian man closed in. While he did manage to fire the arrow he hit a piece of armor on Arthur's person doing no harm, and he shut his eyes tight as Arthur came to deal the finishing blow to him, flying as his enemy uppercutted him with his weapon. As Arthur and Elphie worked together to take down more and more enemies, the Nohrian army found the number of their enemies was dwindling gradually due to the two vassals' efforts.

"Whew, Hoshido's army sure is pretty big," Elphie said with a slightly weary sigh. "Size isn't everything though; they'll need more than this to dent our ranks."

"Not that we would wish for more for that to happen," Arthur said. "I'd rather this conflict be buried between us with as little casualties on both sides, but alas here we are."

"Me too, but we gotta make sure we don't get carried away. As soon as we find a healer we'll get that arm of yours treated."

"Already working on it!" A familiar voice said. The two Nohrians turned around and found the royal family standing right behind them with the other vassals assembled. Elise had a heal staff on her and pooled some of her latent magic into it, releasing it as a pulse of light that bathed Arthur in it. The fighter's arm wound disappeared in record time and it felt like it was never there at all.

"Many thanks my fair lady," Arthur said giving a polite bow to the young princess "The entire royal family has assembled I see, though I don't see Sirs Gunther and Jakob or Ladies Felicia and Flora anywhere."

"Gunther and Flora are with the rest of the army up ahead, Jakob's on his way right now, and Felicia is…" Elise trailed off not wanting to break the news to her vassals but Leon spoke up for her.

"Felicia was exiled not too long ago," Leon said, "and our spies have reported that the royal family of Hoshido has taken her in." Arthur and Elphie did not hear the news about Felicia earlier, nor did the other vassals, and the looks on their faces was nothing short of pure shock. "She currently serves our brother Kamui. Fitting, isn't it, for a Nohrian prince to be attended to by a Nohrian vassal even while in Hoshidan custody."

"While Kamui has grounds to return to Nohr," Xander said, "Felicia is unfortunately prohibited from returning to us as a legal citizen. She must either be captured as a prisoner or somehow smuggled back in without father knowing."

"How did she get exiled?" Elphie asked, "and how long ago was it?"

"Father deemed her too much of a liability and a threat to Corrin after the battle at the Bottomless Canyon. It was…disconcerting to see her tossed out so."

"Oh my goodness, that's terrible…"

"Flora and Kylma were present when it occurred," Camilla said. "No doubt the incident wounded them greatly…And here we are, about to do battle with Felicia."

"Felicia's purportedly absent from the battle," Leon stated. "She and another of Kamui's retainers—Suzukaze—were injured in Corrin's assassination attempt back in Hoshido and they're possibly still recovering, just like Jakob. Who knows if we'll end up seeing them in battle today."

"What's this talk about me that I hear?" A man's voice asked. Corrin was the first to turn her head and saw one of her loyal vassals Jakob, looking as crisp and sharp as ever.

"J-Jakob? I…I mean, it is…good to see you well," Corrin greeted as curtly as she could with a bow, though everyone knew how much she wanted to crush Jakob with a hug instead. "I trust that you are aware of the current situation?"

"Of course milady. A butler's work is never done it seems; I am fully prepared to assist you in taking out the trash." The butler flashed his lethally crafted tableware to get his point across, and without batting an eye (much less turning his head) he flung the tableware behind him at a divine mage who was in hiding, taking their head off with a lunar-powered toss. A second later the razor-sharp tray re-materialized in his hand, and though his arm felt heavy afterwards he knew he was fine. "For you, there shall be no other servant greater than I milady."

"A bold declaration Jakob, but you do know that I prefer you to go out and prove it."

"Now that we're all here we should devise a strategy for dealing with the Hoshidan royal family," Selena said. "Does anyone have any bright ideas other than myself of course?"

"We already did the strategizing before you guys got here," Leon answered. "We're taking on our 'counterparts' so to speak, so the rest of you will fight the retainers. You're smart people, so you shouldn't have any problems with who to go for."

"Well what about _me_ your highnesses?" A rough man's voice came. "What are _my_ orders?" A bald ulfhedinn with dark armor approached the group, sending chills down their spines with his presence.

" _Ghans?_ " Xander said incredulously. "But, you were incarcerated…How…?"

"Looks like your old man still has some uses for me after all. I've been granted an entire battalion of troops just itching to tear up some Hoshidan hide." Ghans gave each person present a look on his face that meant he was ready for a slaughterhouse.

"Your orders are simply to do battle with the main army of Hoshido," Corrin told him with a tense voice. "Take no hostages and leave no survivors, but if I ever catch you doing anything remotely similar to what you did back at the Bottomless Canyon…you will wish father had kept you in the dungeon."

"And if I told you that I'm acting entirely on King Garon's orders like last time?"

"Then I will speak with father to confirm it for myself, and you will be right beside me when I do."

"Heh, as you say your highness." Ghans looked back toward his troops and gave a thunderous command. "You heard her you lot! Kill every single Hoshidan you can find; not one of them is to be left alive!" The chatter of the troops was that of excitement among several of them, and Ghans raised his killer axe high while howling furiously in mania. _**"Death to all Hoshidan trash‼"**_ Many of the troops repeated Ganz's actions and all of them made a mad dash behind him as he charged off into the distance, leaving the royal family and their vassals exasperated.

"Father truly baffles me on occasions like this…" Xander groaned.

"Don't we all feel like that nowadays?" Leon spoke in kind. "Anyways, we have a battle to take care of. Stick to the plan, but in the worst case scenario be prepared to make a full retreat. Let's go." The Nohrians held their weapons in a knightly fashion and marched toward the other side of the plains' dried up river to wrap up the conflict.

* * *

 _ **Theme: EGDELWONK**_

Minutes later the Hoshidan side of the war was still faring decently against some of the Nohrian army, though they knew that they needed to pull out a game-changing move and fast. The royal family had cleared the plains of more Nohrian soldiers and were pushing back against the invasion as hard as they could while gradually advancing to the dried up river through a forest. Their army's tactician—Yukimura—had finally arrived to join the fray and aside of the reinforcements he brought with him he brought along two other figures who were very much needed in the battle: a male ninja and a maid knight.

"Suzukaze! Felicia!" Kamui exclaimed. "You guys pulled through!"

"Thank Hydra above for a speedy recovery," Suzukaze said. "With everyone else out here doing everything they can to halt the invasion I simply couldn't sit this battle out."

"I'm better off battling out here than staying behind to do some chores," Felicia added. "And…I wanted to help pay you all and the queen back for letting me stay with you. I may be fighting against my former allies and my family, but, I won't sit around while innocent people are in danger. And I know that Nohr needs help badly but what they're doing isn't right."

"Huh? Nohr needs help?" Ryouma asked. "What for?" With that everyone's eyes turned to the Nohrian-turned-Hoshidan maid. Felicia shifted nervously from having so many people staring at her, not helping was that she was a Nohrian in Hoshidan territory. Despite not wanting to really answer the question she knew wiser, and she took in a deep breath to explain what she knew.

"Nohr is…well, to make a long story short we're running out of resources fast. Not enough goods can be produced at the same rate that they go away, and some of the stuff we have are hand-me-downs from previous generations, like my dress. At least two dozen others wore it before me, and that was before it shrunk to where most others couldn't wear it anymore. Even the royal family all wear armor and clothes that someone else wore except for King Garon."

"So let me get this straight: you Nohrians—excuse me, I mean, these Nohrians attacked us because they need resources badly?" Takumi asked. "If that was the case then why didn't they just up and ask us for them in the first place instead of this? We'd have given them enough to get them back on their own feet."

"I…I really don't know that myself. The royal family mentioned something about 'getting even' with Hoshido, but I don't know what that means."

"'Getting even' with us? What did _we_ ever do to _them_?"

"I wouldn't know that either. Honestly. You don't seem like bad people so maybe there was just some misunderstanding."

"Tch, if anything _we're_ getting even with _them_ for these attacks, but I'll talk about that later if we live through this…*sigh*…Anyways…is there anything you wanted to report to us Sir Yukimura?"

"Not much Lord Takumi. These reinforcement troops are the only capable ones I could gather back at the capital, and while they need some improvement here and there they're efficient enough to assist us in this battle. Are there any specific orders you would wish for us to carry out?"

"Um, not really," Kamui said. "You can head over to where the main army is fighting and keep a close eye on the troops. We'll be there soon after we deal with the royal family if they're not already headed that way. Or if you want, you can stick with us. We don't really mind either way."

"A nice suggestion Lord Kamui. Does anybody else have something else they wish to say?"

"I don't," Ryouma said.

"Nor do I," Hinoka said.

"Do whichever you feel is the best course of action," Takumi said. "You _are_ our tactician after all."

"Very well then. I believe that you are all capable enough without my help, so I will head to where the rest of our troops are and assist them against these invaders."

"May the Dawn Dragon's protection be with you Sir Yukimura," Sakura said to the man.

"May they also extend their protection to you all as well. Be strong everyone." The puppeteer gave the royals a salute and with a tug of his wrist he kicked his puppet mount into gear. The mechanical beast carried its rider off into the distance, and the Hoshidan royal family decided to have one last recap before they went to face their enemies.

"Okay, this is it guys," Takumi said. "Ryouma, Hinoka, I know that you two already have everything figured out. Sakura, I really don't have to tell you this, but you should hang back for a bit and let Tsubaki and Kazahana do the fighting. Help them if possible, but stay out of enemy range if you can."

"Okay." Sakura said.

"Kazahana, Tsubaki, you know what you'll be doing?"

"As if you need to ask us!" Kazahana replied.

"We're experienced soldiers Lord Takumi," Tsubaki said. "I mean no disrespect but with us there's truly no real need for a recap."

"I understand that part," Takumi said. "It's just in me to check and make sure. And last but not least, we have you Kamui. So, what's your plan?"

"I'm going straight for Corrin. I'll try using my wakizashi against her for an early ranged advantage, and I'll only use my dragonstone when necessary. Suzukaze, Felicia, when I engage Corrin up close, chip at her with your weapons from a safe distance while I keep her occupied. When she's too tired to fight that's when we'll get her back."

"As you wish Lord Kamui," Suzukaze said with a bow.

"Wait, we're capturing Corrin?" Felicia asked in confusion.

"Yes," Kamui answered. "She's my twin sister who was kidnapped from our late mother long ago."

"Wh-What? You…you mean that?"

"Of course."

"I…But I thought that…" Felicia was clearly confused by this revelation and she had trouble believing the man, but he went on with his explanation.

"King Garon of Nohr kidnapped Corrin from our mother, and he would have kidnapped me too had my father not been there to stop him. I'm assuming that you know Corrin?"

"Yes, I do. She was my mistress back when I still lived in Nohr. She was a kind person underneath her cold exterior, so it's a little jarring to hear that she's the one who was responsible for that attack."

"I wasn't that surprised that she would do something that rotten," Takumi said, "but there's no place for that discussion here; we'll save that for later. Anyways, we all have a solid battle plan against the Nohrian royals, and that's good. If things get really hairy we might need to pull out for a little then dive back in when we're ready. With that said, let's kick these invaders outta here!" The Hoshidans gave a fist pump and marched toward the river for battle, though none of them noticed that they had a secret audience. Out from behind the trees emerged their very targets, already geared up for their inevitable showdown.

"How cute," Corrin snorted. "The Hoshidans are capable of strategizing after all."

"With someone like Takumi around, they'd have little problems in that department," Leon said. "The other guy that left is their tactician, Yukimura. Guess where Takumi gets his smarts from."

"That nerdy looking guy?" Selena asked. "Eh, I've known better tacticians than him."

"Never underestimate any prestigious tactician Selena," Laslow said. "They're infamous for accomplishing the seemingly impossible."

"Especially if they're the type that fights in the forefront of the battle," Odinn said. "They're pretty confident that they'll win if they're doing that."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Selena said. "So, when are going after them?"

"Let's give them a minute to ease themselves," Leon said. "They won't expect us coming from behind since they don't know that we already crossed over." The Hoshidans had a comfortable pace making the Nohrians rather impatient for Leon's signal, but he would not keep them there for long after half a minute passed. "Aaaannd…right about…now. Alright people, they're about to cross the river. Let's get a move on." The Nohrians slowly made their way out of the forest and maintained a slow pace to not cause alarm so soon. Once they got closer Leon gave them the command to break into a sprint. The Hoshidans were just about to cross when Kamui heard the sounds of feet trotting, hooves galloping, and wings flapping rapidly in unison.

"Hm? You guys hear that?" Kamui asked. "That sounds like a lot of soldiers making speed."

"I hear it too," Ryouma said. "It's getting louder."

"And it sounds a lot like it's—"

 _ **"Move out the way!"**_ Takumi said cutting Hinoka off. When everyone turned around they saw the Nohrian forces gunning for them, catching them by surprise. They ran as fast as they could to avoid getting struck down by the incoming party and moved to the side. The Nohrians kept going into the dried river and put on their brakes so that they could face their opponents.

 _ **Theme: ENDLESS NIGHTMARE**_

With both parties finally in each other's presence there were many glares to be had between the differing factions, with the atmosphere immediately tensing up.

"We meet again, Hoshidans," Xander spoke. "I hope you haven't forgotten that we have a score to settle with one another."

"Damn straight we've a score to settle!" Ryouma yelled. "The duel may have been ruined earlier, but you being here is a sign that you didn't turn tail and run after all."

"We never run from a battle unless absolutely necessary," Camilla said. "We _always_ get the job done."

"That doesn't make you any more honorable, Nohrians," Hinoka said.

"Maybe, but we're no less than you in any case," Leon countered. "We're probably more so given the circumstances between us as of late."

" _You_ , more honorable than _us_?" Takumi scoffed. "You've no right to claim _any_ sort of honor you treacherous blackhearts!"

"Hey, we're no blackhearts!" Elise shouted. "Sure, this is a thing, but I swear that we have some proper justification for this!"

"Then what is it?" Sakura asked. "What could possibly justify the horrific things you did to our people? What have they done to deserve this?!"

"You know exactly what you've done…" Corrin snarled at the Hoshidans with toxins laced in her voice. "I won't waste our precious time explaining to _you_ what _you're_ responsible for. We're conquering Hoshido and we're taking back everything you robbed our people of."

"We have no idea what you're talking about," Kamui said, "but we'll find out about that after we defeat you. The Kingdom of Hoshido will not fall to your forces!"

"Are you truly certain of that?" Xander questioned. "You have yet to fully prepare yourselves to face the wrath of Nohr's elites. Brothers and sisters in arms… _ **attack‼**_ "

 _ **Theme: THORN IN YOU (ROAR)**_

At Xander's command the Nohrians rushed at the Hoshidans while the latter braced for impact. The former went straight for their specified targets and began pushing them apart from each other with their attacks, singling them out. Takumi realized what they were doing but Leon stopped him from accomplishing anything by casting Brynhildr near him.

"Not on my watch pal," Leon said. "I'M your opponent today."

 _'Damn, this isn't good,'_ Takumi thought sourly. _'The Nohrians are countering us and we can't break away. I hope that we can pull through against these odds.'_

"Say, Is that your dual daikyuu over there?" Takumi was confused for a moment and looked off to the side, where his weapon had apparently dropped. The archer didn't try to retrieve it right away thinking that Leon had a trap to spring. "I guess it isn't since you don't look like you're in a hurry to go and grab it." Takumi refused to answer Leon and prepared a spellbane arrow, ready to bolt to his dropped weapon after he attacked. Leon caught on to this, and a simple flick of his wrist he cast Brynhildr again. He aimed directly for the dual daikyuu that Takumi was sure to use against him, destroying the weapon with the magical trees. Shocked at seeing one of his biggest saving graces gone so easily, Takumi turned to the smug-smiled prince to glare daggers at him. "I guess it _was_ yours after all. Oh well, looks like you didn't really need it did you?"

"…I suppose not," Takumi said. "I only need one daikyuu to drop your pasty ass anyhow." Leon immediately scowled upon Takumi finishing his sentence, and whatever sense of mercy may have been left in him vanished. While Leon charged his spell, Takumi had a change of heart concerning what weapon to use; he switched from his spellbane hamakyuu to his Fuujinkyuu, deducting that Leon would counter him with the swords he had with him. By the time he drew a wind arrow from his bow, Leon had finished charging Brynhildr and was ready to attack. As soon as Takumi made it look like he would let go Leon lightly tapped his horse with his boot making the horse dodge to the left, but Takumi outsmarted him and altered his aim before actually letting go of the arrow. The projectile hit the prince dead center just as Takumi had planned.

 _'Clever dick…'_ Leon thought. He was just about to cast Brynhildr on Takumi, but the archer was already geared to dodge; thus Leon held his spell back until he spotted an opening. Takumi looked like he would evade to the left and had another arrow ready, but Leon did not want to be tricked a second time so he had to think fast. Remembering the number one weakness of any bow wielder Leon signaled to his horse what they were to do next. Takumi decided to attack Leon in his impatience, but Leon's steed suddenly bolted at him before he could let his arrow go. The arrow missed Leon and the sable knight cast his spell in a much different manner than what he had previously done. The spell was used on his free arm, coating it in wood and leaves to shape what looked like a sword, and with it Leon slashed past Takumi's bow arm without stopping.

" _Gahhh‼_ " Takumi screamed out, almost dropping his weapon. He tried to fight through the pain and tugged on his Fuujinkyuu's string, conjuring another wind arrow from it. Leon's steed turned around for another attack, but Takumi decided to wait for his opponent to come to him. When Leon tried to slice him a second time, Takumi rolled out of the way at the last second and let his arrow fly at Leon's back. The arrow almost hit the sable knight in his neck drawing out a pained gasp, and the force was enough to make him slide off of his horse. "Game over you pasty cracker!" Leon had a trick up his sleeve however; from where he laid he pointed his sword arm out to Takumi, and with a single chant the wood that covered Leon's arms flew at the Hoshidan in a flechette storm formation. Takumi tried dodging the projectiles as he fired his arrow but a few of them buried themselves in his right side, including his bow arm. Leon on the other hand was not hit fatally thanks to Takumi's aim being altered, though he knew that he wouldn't last too long without any healing agents. His horse had finally returned to him, and with her help he managed to sit back atop her. Once he was stable again Leon flashed a scowl at Takumi who was giving him an intense glare himself.

"I'd like if you didn't spit out any more ethnic slurs at me Hoshidan." Leon said.

"Yeah, well to Hell with what you like," Takumi growled out. "You're nothing but pond scum, and you deserve nothing more than burning hate for your deeds." Leon didn't respond to Takumi's statement at all, simply taking a deep breath to compose himself. It didn't work too well.

"…You had best written a will somewhere."

"My will is for all of you evil, rat bastards to burn…" That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Leon could take Takumi bad mouthing him to a degree, but hearing Takumi write his people off as evil and after everything he heard the Hoshidans do to them made him want to beat Takumi to death with his bare hands. His composure gave way to rage, and the violet flames blazed wildly to match his disposition. Takumi didn't falter from the sight and in spite of his injuries he shot at the enraged prince; the wind arrow accomplished nothing aside of pissing Leon off further when he merely dodged the projectile. _'…Should've seen that one coming,'_ Takumi thought. Leon cast Brynhildr on himself again, this time forging a sharp gauntlet from the magic botany.

"I've had enough of you cur." Leon said. "Prepare yourself for the scourge of the Nohrian peoples, and pray that whatever god you believe in will have mercy on your soul."

" _Bring it._ " Takumi said challenging the dark knight.

As Takumi and Leon were about to clash more, Hinoka circled around Camilla in the sky, ready to strike should she see an opening. Green winds gusted around Hinoka and a violet flame hugged Camilla's figure tightly, and the image the display brought created an even more stark contrast between the two princesses.

Hinoka's tenma charged at Camilla while she brandished a guard naginata, but Camilla barely moved herself out of the way, taking a stab to her leg. Camilla attempted to counterattack Hinoka with her lustrous axe, but she missed by a large margin. Hinoka successfully struck Camilla in her torso when she came back around, almost causing her to falter.

"Oof…well now, you certainly aren't playing games are you?" Camilla said ignoring her injuries. "I'm almost impressed princess."

"Keep your patronizing noise to yourself," Hinoka responded.

"As you wish. Compared to what I have seen however, you have a lot of training to do before I consider you particularly powerful."

" _You…!_ "

"Don't be so upset Hinoka; I'll gladly give you a kiss of what superior strength feels like so that you'll know what to strive for, whether in this life or the next…" Camilla flashed a sinister expression at Hinoka as she readied her next attack. The violet flames surrounding Camilla grew brighter, hotter, and larger, and they began to mix with her and her wyvern's breaths. In what seemed like a split second to Hinoka, Camilla's wyvern lunged at her before her tenma could attempt to move a significant distance away. In a desperate effort Hinoka tried ducking to avoid being hit, but Camilla altered her swing's direction and angle, slashing Hinoka and her tenma in their sides. The Hoshidan pair reeled from the attack, and they could feel the flames seep into them from the blow. "Oh come now, are we finished already? T'was only a lovetap darling."

"Don't you mock me!" Hinoka yelled, lashing out at her enemy with her guard naginata. Camilla made no effort to move, taking the full force of the attack as the weapon impaled he through her stomach. Again, the violet flames increased in their intensity and size, now becoming a blistering blaze.

"Hmph…you honestly think that this hurts me child?" Hinoka looked up at Camilla's face when she heard the words and found the older woman smiling; Camilla's smile was an eerie one and it made Hinoka shudder upon seeing it. In a flash Camilla grabbed Hinoka by the arm before yanking the other woman off of her mount, pushing the naginata further through her. The act terrified Hinoka and she tried to pull away, but Camilla's grip on her was too strong. Camilla's lips were now a breath away from those of Hinoka's and she began whispering to the other woman. "I've been in quite the skirmishes and I know what pain is; this is but a mere flesh wound to me. I can show you what it's like to feel excruciating pain; it is my specialty…" The maternal tone Camilla spoke with only served to heighten Hinoka's fear of her. Before she could attempt getting away something sharp hacked its way into her side. Her face immediately went pale and blue at the same time, and she didn't need to look to her waist to find Camilla's brave axe buried into her.

"Tell me, how badly does this sting little princess?" Camilla asked Hinoka. "Does it sting as much as I hope it does?" The Nohrian's reply was a wet cough from her enemy splattering blood onto her. "That's what I thought. I hope that this hurts you as much as what our people had to go through under your people's treatment."

"What?" Hinoka questioned. The accusation sounded ridiculous to her, but she knew better than to call the older princess a bluff. "What are you…urf, what do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean princess." Camilla's smiling face turned into a mildly upset glare; her serene expression concealed the fury that burned inside of her and all other Nohrians. "We had little means of healing our stricken people, yet when they came at Hoshido's doorsteps looking for comfort they were turned a blind eye by the so-called peaceful kingdom." The statement made Hinoka's eyes widen in confusion and shock, but she winced when she felt the weapon still in her partially inch out from her, reminding her that she was still in battle. "We've heard of deportations and imprisonments for refusal to leave from my father and his men. We even have a few select witnesses who can recount the tale of their time spent in Hoshido."

"That's—that's preposterous!" Hinoka tried to say in a dignified manner. "We would never do such a thing to anyone!" _'I know that Felicia mentioned "getting back at us" but if there is truly a slight between us we must look into it further. I don't want to be fighting over a misunderstanding…'_

"Yet it happened regardless of your claim. Either you are bearing falsehoods at me or you are ignorant of the matter. It makes no difference which is the case however; if your people will not assist Nohr in rebuilding itself then we will simply take what we need for ourselves." Deciding that she was done talking Camilla slowly dragged her axe out from Hinoka before pulling it out of her. Camilla noticed that she kept her grip on Hinoka's arm the entire time, and she found another way to cause the princess distress. Before she could do so, Hinoka lashed out with a vicious headbutt, pushing the older princess with the surprise of the action. While Camilla was distracted, Hinoka tore herself and her weapon free from her enemy, and she jumped off of Camilla's wyvern back on to her tenma. The tenma flew away from the Nohrian pair to allow Hinoka some breathing room.

"If you call off this attack…we will investigate the matter of this and I will see to it that Nohr gets the aid it needs." Hinoka spoke as she applied her remaining vulnerary to her sides. "If not, then I'm afraid I will have to fight you off."

"You know that that is an unwise decision," Camilla replied without skipping a beat. "I have many reasons to not allow you that chance, and even if we backed out imagine the backlash this would have on our people. Father would also be very cross with the decision. I suppose this means we must fight." _'A shame really. She appears to be an earnest young woman. If I cannot avoid killing her then I'll at least make her death merciful.'_

"I had a feeling you'd say that. I wanted to avoid this but fate had other plans." _'Why can't we talk this one through? I feel that there is more to this war than what it seems.'_ Hinoka cast a quick glance toward her comrades who were engaged with their enemies minus Sakura, and it seemed that no one was in any mood for civility. Refocusing on the battle, Hinoka readied her weapon and gave another charge at the wicked dragoon; Camilla saw the attack coming and prepared for a dodge. The attack was a feint; Hinoka's tenma dove downward instead of forward and swerved back upward behind Camilla, and Hinoka took a swift slash at Camilla's sides before her mount swerved away out of attack range. Camilla still showed little signs of pain while the flames around her grew, though Hinoka pressed on with a second strike.

"I don't think so…" Camilla reached for the hand axe on her person and wound up her arm for an attack. Hinoka noticed it and had her mount dodge the attack, but Camilla didn't throw the axe, waiting for Hinoka to attempt a counterattack. When the Hoshidan princess managed to land another blow against Camilla's back, the Nohrian princess's mount swiftly turned around as Camilla swung her hand axe at Hinoka's head with lethal intent. Hinoka quickly held her naginata in place to deflect the blow. While Camilla failed to kill her enemy she was a quick thinker, and she used her hand axe to yank the naginata out from Hinoka's grasp. After disarming her foe Camilla tried to end Hinoka again, but her attack was ducked under while Hinoka's tenma flew out of enemy range once more. Thinking quickly, Hinoka hatched a plan to disorient the revenant knight, and without warning her tenma took off on the opposite direction. "And just where do you think you're going?" Camilla's wyvern gave chase after the Hoshidans and Camilla switched to a tomahawk to snipe her fleeing opponents. Before she knew it however, Hinoka was making a large number of sharp turns while flying, and Camilla knew her wyvern wasn't as fast as Hinoka's tenma nor was her aim particularly good when dealing with flying targets.

"Nice try princess," Hinoka shouted back in a mocking tone before making a sharp dive bomb toward the ground. Camilla mimicked the action and found herself headed straight for Nohr's own soldiers, right in the middle of the outlaw line units. With the memory of her last encounter with a bow-wielder fresh in her mind she abruptly halted her descent right above them. Hinoka on the other hand made a bold maneuver through the soldiers at a low altitude, cleaving through a few of them with her crimson naginata. Camilla could see the other princess's movements as she weaved through the crowd and gave chase above ground. She lowered herself slightly but slowed her flight when Hinoka also slowed herself. Faster than Camilla could anticipate, Hinoka made an upside-down U-turn and stabbed Camilla in her forearm, forcing Camilla to drop her tomahawk to the ground. Hinoka wasn't finished yet, turning around and stabbing Camilla through her other shoulder with another upside-down U-turn motion, dropping her to the ground and flying off to the rest of her siblings.

"That princess…perhaps I underestimated her," Camilla gasped out. "But as clever as that little trick was, she's sorely mistaken to think that I'm through with her yet." She clutched her custom-made axe with her less injured arm and commanded her wyvern to pursuit Hinoka, exploding in fire as they took off.

"Phew, at least she'll be less of a threat," Hinoka sighed. "I'd hate to kill her now, and now to get back to my comrades." As she sped back to the location of her original battle a whistling sound caught her ears, and a blazing figure rushed past her before stopping. Hinoka flinched from the sight, believing Camilla to be too injured to continue. "I…but, how…"

"I find it cute that you thought me to be out of commission so soon, but mistakes like that come with a hefty punishment…" Camilla put on another eerie smile for a brief moment as a deadly flame poured out from her lips, and she and her mount caught fire as they rose up high to slam down on the Hoshidans.

Meanwhile, Sakura kept her distance from the fighting going on. She was very much scared of dying out in the plains, yet she was much more scared of losing anyone in the war. Her fears of the latter and her dislike of being left behind overpowered her fear of dying, and they drove her to make frequent trips near the battlefield despite being told to stay away from it all. As she neared an injured Kazahana, the samurai suddenly moved out of the way of a dashing Arthur; it was less "dashing" and more "skidding along the ground face first", making the priestess jump back a fair distance.

" _Eep!_ " Sakura yelped. The priestess moved out of the man's immediate sight, and much to her fortune he didn't notice her as he stood back up. He immediately jumped back at Kazahana who dodged his attack and delivered one of her own, tearing through his once-pristine cape and his back. Sakura herself focused her magic energies into her Autumn Festival rod, surrounding herself in o-fuda and bronze leaves before transferring her built up magic energy into Kazahana. Arthur noticed the glow of revitalization and suspected Sakura to be nearby. Kazahana struck him again in his brief distraction, but he recovered from it quickly and retaliated with a clean swipe at Kazahana's leg, following his attack up with a horizontal slash across Kazahana's stomach. He would have struck her again had she not shoulder tackle him into the dried river, Kazahana watching the man tumble like a rag-doll amidst a storm of "ow" and "ouch". She grinned at the comical sight, but it didn't last as Arthur had enough skill to snipe her with a hand axe in her other leg, causing the samurai to fall in with him.

"Kazahana!" Sakura had seen her bestie almost die once and she rushed up to the river to pull her out. She suddenly couldn't feel herself moving forward or on the ground for that matter, and before she knew it she was magically whisked away by some unknown force. When her senses returned to her, she was greeted with the sight of Elise who wore a rather sad smile on her face.

"E-Elise?" Sakura asked. She wondered if it was an apparition of some sort.

"Sorry for doing this Sakura, but…" Elise apologized trailing off before resuming her sentence, "you're coming with us."

"Wha—But, how…" Sakura looked to Elise's hands and found a peculiar staff in them fading from prior use. A scary thought came to her and she looked behind her; she found her siblings and comrades battling in the river but their positions were switched from when she last saw them. "Did…did you…?"

"Yeah, and I really don't want to do it, but we have to win this war for our people."

"But, we don't—" Sakura was silenced when she felt a strange magical sensation hit her legs, and she looked down to find a magic sigil beneath her feet; she tried moving but found herself unable to do so. Obscene fear crept into her and she turned to find the culprit responsible: she saw two other figures approaching her—a lilac-haired, elderly man donning obsidian heavy armor seated atop of an equally armored horse and a blue-haired woman who was almost a spitting image of Felicia holding an icy-blue staff in her hand.

"I'd rather not take hostages, let alone you of all people Princess Sakura," the woman said, "but with you in our custody this conflict will end much sooner and our people will be closer to escaping the nightmare."

"We promise that no harm will come to you," the elderly man said. "We do not know when you'll be released but it should not be far off in the future."

" _No…_ " Sakura's voice quivered as her captors closed in, desperately thinking of a way to escape. She remembered that she had a couple of rods on her, and she pulled one in particular out in a hurry. The two Nohrians stopped short when they saw the rod that Sakura pulled out on them, eyes widening in surprise.

"Is that the—"

"The Condemn rod…" the great knight confirmed for the maid. "E-Easy now, we don't intend to harm you, only to—"

"No," Sakura said. "I will not be another kingdom's leverage tool. Let me go, or else…" Sakura tried to sound resolute but she couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. She even pointed her rod at the Nohrians causing each one to back away from her, hoping to get her message clear. "If you don't let me go, my brothers and sister will find me, and they will do more than hurt you. I can't fight, but I can still do some damage with this rod."

"I'm truly sorry Princess Sakura, but an enemy is an enemy," the maid said apologetically. "We won't hurt you, but you are not going anywhere except Nohr unless the Hoshidan army surrenders."

"Fine," Sakura channeled her magic energy into the rod and took aim at the maid. Black and red magic generated around the rod's head and an eerie laughter rang out from the weapon. She noticed the great knight creeping up on her and quickly shifted her aim toward him, halting his advance. With the two older Nohrians in front of Sakura, she couldn't see Elise sneaking around the two ready to snatch Sakura's rod. The moment she was close enough Elise's horse lunged at Sakura while Elise outstretched her free arm. Sakura, in a startle, snapped to Elise's direction and let the magic blast loose, hitting Elise dead in her chest and knocking her flat off of her horse.

"Lady Elise!" the elderly man yelled. Both he and his maid partner rushed over to the fallen princess. Sakura could feel the magic in her legs beginning to dissipate, and began wiggling her legs as much as possible to free herself. The maid noticed Sakura and aimed her newly acquired Silence staff at the princess. It was an error in judgement; even though she meant to keep the priestess from using her rods it left her legs free to allow an escape. Immediately Sakura made a fun-for toward the river.

"No!" the maid shouted. "Gunter, let me take care of Elise, Sakura is escaping!"

"Of course Flora," the man responded, hoping onto his horse and chasing after the running priestess. Sakura ran as fast as she could to get away, and almost tripped to the ground, but the knight had enough stamina to chase Sakura to the ends of the earth if need be. Right before Gunter could corner Sakura, a lone shuriken flew at him at a high speed, nicking him and his horse in an unarmored section of their attire. The shuriken immediately did a number on their aged frames, slowing them down enough to where Sakura could outrun them both. Almost out of nowhere, the bespectacled form of Yukimura placed himself and his puppet mount between Sakura and Gunter, ready to launch another shuriken at his superior's pursuer.

"You shall not pass!" Yukimura bellowed. "Lady Sakura will not be your bargaining chip!"

"Yukimura…thank you…" Sakura smiled at the man who gave her a confident nod, and she hightailed it out of the area while he stayed behind to fend off the Nohrian great knight. Further back, Elise was barely managing to stand, Flora's staves having had no effect on her.

"I'm real sorry about that Miss Flora…" Elise said in a shaky voice. "I thought I was worm food for a second."

"Please do be more careful in the actions you take," Flora said.

"I will."

"At the very least, you're learning how to fight like your siblings. I can calm down a little knowing that."

"Aw…"

"I'll stay with you from until this battle is over. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure!"

"Lady Elise?" a rough voice called out. Elise and Flora turned to the voice and found four soldiers standing attention: one was a tall man wearing thick black armor, another was a scantily clad woman brandishing a rather bloody axe, another was a young-looking woman dressed in dark mage robes, and another was a sharp-dressed man who bore wolfish features on him.

"Sir Benoit? Miss Charlotte?" Flora questioned. "I thought you two were stationed near the borders. What is this?"

"King Garon is sending every able-bodied fighter in the realm into this fight," Benoit responded. "We are here to aid you in the battle any way possible."

"We may not look much for a couple of border guards, but rest assured we are capable enough to send these Hoshidans running home," Charlotte said. "We've also brought two new additions to the army."

"Oh?" Flora took a look at the two newcomers, finding them capable looking enough. She knew not to judge on appearances alone though, and had doubts that they would serve the army well. "I'm a little skeptical about this decision, but I will try to have faith in them. May I have your names?"

"Nyx Tartarus," the dark mage said. "If you have need of me, then I will not disappoint you."

"That's comforting to hear," Flora said. "And you sir?"

"Name's Keaton Flannel Bigby," the man said. "I've got my whole pack with me too just in case. They've been itching for a fight for a long time, and this'll be a good time for them to bare their claws and fangs, literally."

"You're a Loup-garou?" Flora questioned. "Interesting. Very well then, you two are to assist us in defeating the Hoshidan army. Simple as that."

"As you command miss," Nyx said with a nod.

"Sure thing miss!" Flannel said giving her a thumbs up.

"Good, now let's proceed."

Once Sakura was safe in familiar arms for the moment she was almost swarmed by a purple-haired divine mage and a blue-haired kinshi warrior, the latter of whom looked especially worried.

"Are you alright little lady?" the blue-haired woman asked. "They didn't hurt you in any fashion have they?"

"No, though they did try to take me away," Sakura answered.

"The nerve of those hooligans. This wouldn't have been their second kidnapping neither."

"Ai, ai, ai…Must we despair constantly about this little scuffle my dear Yuugiri?" the purple-haired woman said. "The Nohrians are very strong, yes, but we must be even stronger in the face of adversity. They have yet to witness the true spirit of the warriors of Hoshido, passed down through our kin for many generations."

"With all due respect Lady Orochi, we mustn't take this battle lightly. One little slip up could cost us more than what we have lost during the battle for the capital. I know I am one to talk but I've not seen a battle so charged with tension in a long time; I'd normally be out there slicing our foes into beautiful red ribbons, but I'm not feeling my usual self."

"Yes, yes, I am well aware of that. But do remember that an attitude taken to the opposite spectrum shall do us no wonders either. We must strike a balance within the center to achieve a decisive victory."

"Are we done dillydallying here?" another woman asked the group of three.

"Ah, Miss Rinka," Orochi greeted. "What news do you bring us?" The newcomer woman was tanned and toned with a fierce warrior's face, brandishing a large ogre's kanabou in her hand.

"Kamikaze Hayato of the Wind Tribe is here, fighting the Nohrian army alongside the Hoshidan army," Rinka said, surprising the other three ladies.

"Really?" Orochi said. "I had figured the Wind Tribe to be a neutral faction in this war."

"They are;" Rinka answered. "Hayato's here acting independent of his tribe's stance."

"Interesting…"

"Anyways, are we ready to go back out into the battle and fight? Or do you ladies need more time here?"

"We're ready whenever we're ready Miss Rinka."

"And that would be?"

"Now."

"Good. We need less talking and more crushing of these insects." Rinka darted off with her weapon in hand shouting a mighty war cry, leaving the other three Hoshidans in the dust. Before they left another figure had approached them.

"Hey-oh Hoshidans," the man greeted, sporting what looked like a fox tail and ears. "I heard that you all needed some help in driving the Nohrians out of Hoshido?"

"Why yes," Orochi answered with a clap of her hands. "Pray tell, are you here to lend us a helping hand my good sir?"

"Mmm-hmm. My name's Inari Nishiki, leader of the Kitsune Hamlet in Hoshido. I'd feel that I wouldn't be doing my homeland a good service if I had sat by. I've brought some of my best warriors for this battle to give us all that extra edge in this war."

"Well, well, your sense of duty is quite admirable Mister Nishiki. We would all be very grateful for you and your tribe's helping hands. Seems that the divine dragon is smiling down upon us this day are they not?"

"Looks like it," Sakura said perking up. "Maybe we'll win this war after all!"

* * *

The sound of steel gnashing against each other resounded throughout the plains more than any other sound did; the blades themselves were Ryouma's Raijintou and Xander's Siegfried. As the two princes locked themselves in combat with each other, heated words of anger over the other's actions spilled forth from the two; Ryouma had denied Xander's accusations of maltreatment of the Nohrian peoples and the kidnapping of Kamui, equally having his own arguments of unjust manslaughter and the kidnapping of Corrin fall on deaf ears. After a while, neither prince was making any significant progress in defeating each other. Back and forth they traded blows that were parried with nigh impeccable timing despite how they were able to hand a single hit on each other earlier, and whenever Xander switched over to his signature spear Ryouma would counter him with his dual katana, effectively rendering the fight in Ryouma's favor in such an instance. Thus they battled on a plane equal with one another.

"I must admit Prince Ryouma," Xander spoke striking at Ryouma only to be parried, "I've not met a swordsman as proficient and refined such as yourself. I daresay that you are akin to an equal of mine."

"You're not bad yourself," Ryouma replied throwing out a kick and a slash that were blocked and parried respectively. "Whatever it is you Nohrians do out in Nohr, it's clear that you aren't playing games. You're the closest that I can call an equal of a sort."

"I fear that neither of us are advancing however. We Nohrians are here to be victorious, yet this stalemate is dragging out for far too long for either of us to gain any sort of advantage."

"I don't mind it so much. While we don't have the upper hand yet, neither do you, and that much is good enough for now."

"Hmph, I see. Don't expect it to remain this way for long though. One of us will tire out before the other, and it will not be me. Nohr is an irresistible force, and you're only delaying the inevitable."

"And Hoshido is the immovable object; you can push and push against us but we will not budge."

While the eldest royals reinvigorated their struggle against each other, two other royals were having at it against their rivals, and their vassals were about to do battle for the sake of their masters and kingdoms.

"'Tis a pitiful sight to see here Felicia," Jakob spoke holding his chin in his gauntlet. "You, standing against your own people for our sworn enemies…I wonder how the rest of your Ice Tribe kinfolk back home would take such news."

"I know that they won't be proud of me, but what's done is done Jakob," Felicia told him sadly. "I can't return to my family no matter what happens; the king won't allow it."

"Unless you're brought to him as a prisoner of war of course. You may not be tried for treason by now, but you will be tried as an enemy of Nohr and sentenced to whatever the king deems fit for you this time. You stand directly in opposition of our goals while supporting these cretins, and it would be a miracle if you will be granted any sliver of mercy from anyone, even from your own sister. Are you truly willing to doom yourself to face such repercussions of aiding the evil?" Felicia stood in silence, knowing that her life was never going to be the same from that day on. She did not believe that the Hoshidans were bad people like others have said, and though she knew that Nohr was in desperate emergency of resources she would not support their actions. With her mind made up she gave Jakob her answer.

"…Yes. I'm ready to face whatever happens to me. No matter what you'll say, I've made my choice: I will fight for the people of Hoshido." Jakob gave the girl an intense glare hearing her response, rage and disgust bubbling up inside of him at Felicia's willingness to turn on her own people, and he took a took a deep breath to gather himself.

"…Hmph, so be it then. You would choose to risk your life for the sake of these people who care not a whit for you, knowing what they had done to our people and knowing what we're fighting for. Or, perhaps you're being "convinced" by them to be their obedient service wench? You always were such a naïve little girl, easy to bend under pressure. Regardless of what the case is, I will be the one to personally drag you back to your former home, on your knees before the king himself, and he will decide your fate for your actions."

"Felicia is not going back to Nohr with you," Suzukaze spoke standing up for Felicia. "She had told us of the circumstances behind her exile, and I will not allow her to go back only to be subject to more pointless suffering."

"Truly now? Well you do not have a say in the matter Suzukaze, and you're more foolish than I thought to think that either of you are on par with me. And this 'pointless' suffering you speak of? Felicia's misery is brought on entirely because of her own incompetence, and as everyone else does she must pay for her incompetencies with any fit punishment."

"She will _not_ pay for another's error. I and the others who truly care for her will be certain that she won't."

"Suzukaze…th-thank you…really, that means a lot to me," Felicia said with a grateful smile.

"You are most welcome Felicia," Suzukaze replied with an identical expression.

"Very well then," Jakob began, "enjoy each other's company while you still can. You'll _all_ experience the wrath of the Nohrian peoples, and I promise you that you will _beg_ for me to put you into the dirt where you belong…" Jakob drew forth a freeze staff and cast it immediately at Felicia, goading her into dodging toward the "wrong" spot. The maid was frozen on the spot in an uncomfortable position, toning down her infamous skill with breaking dagger and shuriken wielders. The Nohrian butler turned his aim toward Suzukaze next, yet the Hoshidan ninja was already closing the distance between the two men. In a heartbeat he switched from his freeze staff to a steel dagger, deflecting his enemy's weaker attack. Suzukaze did not let up however, using his new momentum to slash across the chest of his opponent lightly before backing off. The Nohrian butler flung his steel dagger at the greenette to catch him as he recovered, but the ninja was too evasive for him to score a hit. That wasn't a problem in reverse however, with the Hoshidan ninja flinging his gale-needle at Jakob's leg and successfully landing a hit and backing away once again.

"Cursed ninja…" Jakob muttered. _'He'll slip up sooner or later…he's too cautious to follow through with full offense…'_ The butler's injuries were relatively minor and he was still capable enough to fight back, dodging Suzukaze's attack and waiting for him to attempt to get away. With his opponent now in the process of catching themselves, Jakob ran up to him and tripped Suzukaze before pinning him to the ground. Wasting no time, he stabbed the younger man in the back, missing his vital organs due to his struggling. It didn't take long until Jakob had Suzukaze at his mercy, but before the Nohrian butler could land a fatal blow on the ninja Felicia suddenly tackled him off of her partner when he sat up.

"Wha—who just…?" Suzukaze asked. He watched as Jakob throw the smaller maid off of him, and the two Nohrians stared each other down. Aside of the Nohrian maid apparently free, the other point of interest was the new weapon she held in her hand; it looked to be a dish tray made out of pure ice. Suzukaze was confused for a very brief moment until the realization came to him; Felicia was capable of bending ice. _'But how is this so? The only ones who could bend ice naturally were those of the Ice Tribe, and they were all but wiped out by Garon some time ago. Could it be that they survived somehow and relocated?'_

"How did you manage to free yourself so quickly?" Jakob asked with a harsh tone.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Felicia answered before she rushed at him. _'Great Grandmaster Sub-Niles, father, Flora, and all of my Ice Tribe, please guide me…'_ Jakob jumped into the air to avoid a sliding kick from Felicia, but he left himself open for when she flung her ice tray at his leg. He landed back on the ground in a kneeling position and quickly pulled out his tableware to counter Felicia's ice tray; instead of attacking Felicia jumped behind the man while slashing down at his back. The two combatants rolled away from each other, and Jakob tossed his tableware like a discus; Felicia's response was to jump off of an ice pillar toward her opponent who hurriedly took out a silver dagger. He raised the weapon hoping to catch Felicia on it, but she summoned another ice pillar to stand on before jumping behind him. Thinking her guard to be down Jakob flung the silver dagger at the maid, missing her by a large margin even when she lunged toward him. Before he could defend himself Felicia tripped him with a second slide kick and slashed his other leg as she passed under him. Jakob's unheard-before gasp of pain gave Felicia a start as she rose to her feet, but she knew that she shouldn't let him escape while their kingdoms' warred; not wanting to hurt Jakob anymore, Felicia stood a fair distance away from him and pulled out the freeze staff she brought from Nohr. She began channeling her magic powers into the staff, but before she could finish Jakob suddenly tossed his tableware at her again, catching her by surprise and slicing at her shoulder close to her neck. He didn't succeed in cutting her arm off but it was enough to make her drop her staff to the ground. Ignoring Felicia's cry of pain Jakob bolted toward her despite his leg injuries and knocked the maid down with a shoulder dash, clutching at her throat with one hand while pinning her down. The two Nohrians eyes locked with each other's again, with one's eyes showing pain and the other's showing hatred.

"Again you best me in combat," Jakob snarled, "and again you failed to finish the fight. You may be a more capable unit surpassing me and your sister, but you lack the conviction to win; your father always warned you about such, yet even now you ignore his words. Maybe once I cut you open will you learn your lesson." Jakob then did something that brought fear into Felicia's eyes; he drew forth the dreaded and forbidden sacrificial dagger, driving it into her sides with as much ire as he could muster. Felicia could only choke out her scream as Jakob ripped the dagger out of her and slammed it into the same spot, nearly reaching her stomach inside. He went for a third stab but couldn't; Suzukaze had limped over to Jakob and impaled him near the back of his neck with the caltrop. It was enough to force the Nohrian butler off of the maid and into a laying position.

"Felicia, hold on," Suzukaze said to the steadily-losing-consciousness Felicia. "I'm getting you out of here." The ninja took off his purple shawl and wrapped it around his partner's waist before hoisting up into his arms. It hurt like Hell to carry her with his injuries but he was determined to get her to safety; he didn't make it far until Jakob started coming to, and in less than thirty seconds the butler was back on his feet, albeit with much difficulty. His tableware shimmered with a golden light, and he winded up his arm to deal a lethal blow to Suzukaze and Felicia.

"You think you've won this little skirmish?" Jakob rasped out struggling to hold his weapon in hand. "You should have checked to see if I was dead first… _I will see you both in Hell‼_ " Suzukaze caught the words and turned to see Jakob throwing the sacrificial dagger at him and Felicia, eyes widening knowing that he couldn't evade the attack in time to save either of them. He heard another sound making its way toward him, and before he could register it he saw a figure jump in front of him. The next thing he heard was steel meeting steel.

"Not while I'm around Nohrian!" the newcomer's voice said. Suzukaze recognized it and became immensely relieved that it was none other than his lord, Kamui.

 _ **Theme: BRUCE FAULCONER—GOHAN APPEARS**_

"You…!" Jakob said with surprise evident in his voice. "Y-You're the lost prince of Nohr…Kamui…"

"Suzukaze, get yourself and Felicia to a healer right away!" Kamui ordered. "I'll deal with him!"

"O-Of course Master Kamui," Suzukaze responded. "Best of fortune to you." Kamui looked back and nodded at the ninja and he directed his attention to the stunned butler. With a determined look in his eyes Kamui slowly inched his way toward Jakob with a sunrise katana, and Jakob did his best to hold a combat stance with his signature weapon in hand.

"I will not allow you to carry on any further," Kamui spoke. "I do not wish to harm you, but I will if you do not stand down!" Jakob stood his ground even as Kamui stepped ever so closer, knowing that he couldn't take on the prince as he was. He simply needed to stall him until his superior arrived.

"I have been told much about you Prince Kamui," Jakob said. "You are the long lost twin brother of my mistress, Corrin. These Hoshidans, they are—"

"My family," Kamui interrupted. "I am the son of the late King Sumeragi and Queen Mikoto of Hoshido. Corrin is indeed my twin sister, but King Garon had stole her away from our family."

"What? That's preposterous; His Glory was attempting to rescue _you_ from Queen Mikoto when—"

"Wrong sir," Kamui interrupted again. "He had tried to take us both away from our mother at an early age. I may have been young when it happened, but I could never forget that fateful day."

"You're mistaken prince; someone else must have—"

"No, sir. I've witnessed it myself," Kamui interjected. "King Garon and his men ambushed my mother, he snatched Corrin from her and attempted to do the same to me, and my father Sumeragi had come in the nick of time to drive King Garon out of Hoshido, sacrificing his life in the process. You could always tell me that I had learned of this from someone else, but I know what I saw and my eyes don't play tricks on me."

"Impossible…" Jakob was questioning how it was remotely feasible that Kamui could witness King Garon could kidnap Corrin, but before he could ponder more another person's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Truly now?" the person said. "Are you absolutely certain that that is what you saw? Methinks you simply misperceived the events being the child you were back then. Of course, memory manipulation is another possible explanation" Both young men were about to turn to the direction of the voice, and Kamui took a direct blast of Ragnarök, falling down to the ground. The attack surprised Jakob, and when he saw who it was he breathed a breath of relief; Corrin had arrived, and she had just cooled down from casting her tome's spell.

"Milady…I…but I thought you were—"

"I was merely distracted by some gooks for a brief moment, but they have been dealt with." Corrin heard Kamui groaning from the sneak attack and considered her next orders for Jakob. "Find Elise or another healer; you are in no current condition to continue combat."

"I—but what of—"

"Kamui?" Corrin gave the downed prince a fierce glare before returning her eyes to her vassal. "He's _mine_. Assist the others however you can, but you are to leave Kamui to me. Understood?" Corrin was in no way harsh or domineering with Jakob, but he understood full well to not anger her whenever Kamui was involved. He gave her a tired nod and crept away from the site as best as he could, leaving the two royals to themselves. Once Jakob had left Corrin strolled over to Kamui who had some difficulty standing up again. "Hmph, you're not so tough without your little backup vocalist, are you boy?" Corrin spoke in a tone not unlike Garon when he was royally crossed. "I do not see her with you this time…Where is she?"

"I don't know…" Kamui answered. "She's gone."

"Really now? I imagine that you expect me to believe that don't you? We fight, I become close to securing my victory against you, and lo and behold some oh-so-high-and-mighty _tramp_ comes out of nowhere and sings a song that completely turn the tide of our battle. You would not have bested me had it not been for that wench interfering, and I'm not so easy to believe that she had completely disappeared so soon after what happened back at the capital." Corrin reached down at the prince and snatched him up by his shirt, holding him so close that their faces almost touched. "I will not ask you this again so kindly. _Where. Is. She?_ "

"I don't know," Kamui repeated. "Honest. She left the next day after you attacked the capital, but she didn't say where she was going." At first Corrin glared white-hot daggers into Kamui before she began to calm down; if Kamui was telling the truth then at the very least he didn't have a trap to spring on her. Realizing this, Corrin's momentary anger had subsided almost as quick as it had came.

"Oh? Well then, if this lady friend of yours is truly gone, then I suppose that you have no surprises for me after all." Kamui realized the ramifications of his words and took a nervous swallow of air. Corrin noticed it and laughed softly, finally easing up knowing that her opponent knew he was in over his head. "Splendid. Well, not for you in any case. I suppose that that removes any unexpected advantages or disadvantages for us." With a smirk on her face Corrin gave Kamui a rough shove to the opposite side of her before pulling out the last thing he wanted to see: a wyrmslayer.

"Wait a minute, shouldn't we try to talk to each other and—"

"There is nothing else to say between us. My mind will not be changed and neither will yours I assume, so let's have at it then. A one-on-one duel between the two of us. I'll be certain to give you one Hell of a time my _dear_ brother…" Kamui saw the sadistic look on Corrin's face and knew that he had to play it smart with her; he drew his sunrise katana and psyched himself up for what would be his most difficult battle yet.

 _ **Theme: YOU YAMAZAKI—WIN TOUGH FIGHT! (GUITAR VER.)**_

The two royals circled around each other like rival lions, watching the other's movements closely to catch any sort of error and capitalize on it. Corrin's eyes focused on Kamui's cautious and nervous expression in particular, and a plan hatched in her mind already. All she did was feign an approach, and the Hoshido prince tensed up into a defensive position almost instantly. The dusk kith couldn't help but give Kamui a mocking laugh, causing him to ease up a small margin. The moment he did Corrin's face contorted into a snarl and she lunged out toward him, and the display almost made Kamui freeze up. He readied himself for an attack, but Corrin jumped to Kamui's side right before reaching him and cast Ragnarök again. The prince dodged the attack in a hurry by rolling out of the way, though this left him open for an attack from Corrin's wyrmslayer when he stood to his feet. He raised his sunrise katana to block the attack at the last second, and Corrin pressed her blade forward to overpower the prince. After some hesitation Kamui dashed to the side letting the force of the swing carry the princess forward, and he took his wakizashi out. He hurriedly tossed the blade squarely above Corrin's hip bones making her stagger forward. When the Hoshidan prince ran up to Corrin to deliver a vertical slash, the princess snapped around and deflected the attack with a horizontal swing. Before her opponent could recover she shot out her leg to stomp-kick him away to the ground, knocking the sunrise katana out of his hand. Corrin yanked the wakizashi out of her hip and returned it to the sender; Kamui looked up in time to see his weapon flying at him and he rolled out of the way. When he made it to his feet Corrin was already mad dashing at him, and again he barely managed to defend himself with his emergency kodachi right before she could hit him.

"Having fun yet little prince?" Corrin asked him as she bore down on him with wyrmslayer again.

"You call this fun‽" Kamui questioned. He was about to say more until he felt his feet being swept out from under himself. Corrin followed up her sweep kick with a stomp to the ground, and again she missed her mark on her downed opponent. After moving out of the way the Hoshidan shot himself out at the princess, slashing her to the ground with a diagonal slice. He attempted to pin her down only to suffer a metal-covered cross to his jaw. It was dislocated from the force and he reeled long enough for Corrin to stand back up. Fortunately for Kamui Hinoka had done the same thing to him a few times during training so he easily put the bone back in place; unfortunately for him this kept him busy, and Corrin's wyrmslayer drew his blood for the first time. Kamui screamed out in raw agony with the dragon-slaying sword tearing through him easily, dropping his kodachi.

"That's right boy…" Corrin spoke, "scream for me!" The Nohrian princess slowly dragged her blade through her enemy's body like a saw, snagging on to little pieces of flesh and coating her weapon in more blood. "Show me how much this hurts!" Corrin taunted.

 _'Is she trying to kill me‽'_ Kamui wondered. He couldn't bring himself to kill Corrin but accidents happened; he was reminded of what Takumi had said to him earlier, _"If you're going to listen to anything I have to say, do it now. Corrin just killed our mother and many innocent civilians, and she would have killed us all and more if you and Aqua didn't stop her back at the capital. I know that you and the others want her back and all for mother's sake but do not, I repeat, do_ **not** _show any weakness or mercy at all when you fight her. She will capitalize on and exploit the Hell out of that at every opportunity she gets. Do_ whatever _you have to do to take her down."_ The wyrmslayer sword soon slid out of him before he fell to his knees, drawing ragged breaths as Corrin looked on.

"Hmph, are you finished already?" Corrin asked Kamui in a disgusted tone. "I had hoped that you would last longer than this, but I see that those gooks have turned you into a disgrace to our people. It sickens me that I lost to _you_ of all people with someone else's interference, though I promise you that it's not happening again…!" The princess would have pulled her sword back to finish Kamui off, and she wished that she hadn't held her arms up so high. Kamui had jammed his kodachi into her torso after she had exposed herself, and then he lashed out with a hook to her temple.

"I'm a disgrace to Nohr you say?" Kamui hissed out. "Fine by me; they're not my people. I'm no disgrace to the people that matter to me!" He threw out another punch to the slightly-dizzy princess, loosening up her hold on the wyrmslayer enough for Kamui to yank it from her. "You want to know how bad you hurt me, how bad you hurt my family and the people of Hoshido‽ _Here it is‼_ " She didn't have much time or ability to dodge Kamui's stab, gasping when she felt the sword go through her to her back. Both royals stood still for a few seconds with intense glares aimed at each other, and Kamui began pulling the stolen weapon out of his opponent. It was a slow process due to his own injuries but it kept Corrin from doing anything in the meantime. The Hoshido prince yanked the blade out leaving Corrin to stumble backward as he caught his breath.

"Looks like you're _not_ such a spineless boy after all…" Corrin struggled to say. "Thank you for the heads up; now I know not to hold back on you!" She pulled out her levin sword and channeled much of her magic energies into the sword. Kamui saw this and attempted to strike Corrin again, but the moment he got close a lightning bolt shot out from the jagged blade and hit him dead center. He didn't get much time to regret his action as Corrin followed up with an electric slash. The attack struck Kamui in his wound from earlier making it easy for Corrin to steal the wyrmslayer back. Deciding it to be a hindrance for the time being the dusk kith tossed it aside before grabbing at Kamui again. "You almost managed to defeat me on your own. I would have congratulated you had you not aligned yourself with these curs. No matter; I'm certain that we'll fix that little issue in due time" The princess lifted her opponent before chucking him forward to the ground with a hard thud, charging her levin sword to seal the deal. Before she could conjure another bolt of lightning, the sound of a body and weapon collapsing behind her caught her attention. She turned to see a certain sword saint on the ground with a fallen weapon near him; it was Ryouma, and the Yato-no-kami that he had was knocked out of his possession. Without noticing anything else around him as he got up, Ryouma was back on his feet and charged with a yell to his opponent, apparently ignorant of dropping the weapon. In spite of the damage she had suffered, Corrin could not keep the wide grin off of her face with the opportunity she was given.

"My, my, look what we have here…" Corrin said walking up to the dropped weapon. "That fool, didn't even realize that he had just lost his entire kingdom's saving grace." The princess reached down and picked up the Yato-no-kami; her heart began racing just from touching the scabbard, and when she lifted the sword skyward a sense of awe overtook her. She was holding _the_ most sacred of all the hallowed treasures, and with it the war's fate could very well be decided simply by the wielder alone. Corrin unsheathed the weapon in a flash, admiring its golden form and noting how it had a more Nohrian design than a Hoshidan one. "Oh, you are simply a beauty…" The princess noticed a shuffling sound behind her and turned around, finding Kamui on his feet again making his way toward her slowly. Normally she'd scowl at the sight but now she had a smirk of confidence on her face.

"You're not taking that sword…" Kamui bit out. The prince wielded a silver katana and held it in a defensive position, maintaining a solid stance even in his injured condition.

"Oh, and what will you do to stop me?" Corrin sheathed the Yato-no-kami and took up her wyrmslayer once again. "Your injuries are worse than my own, and you expect to retake the Yato-no-kami as you are?"

"You're not that better off than me," Kamui rebuked, "and don't judge me based on appearances alone!" He charged at Corrin and looked as though he would slash her, and Corrin held her levin sword ready to counter him with an attack of her own; the prince dashed to Corrin's side ducking as she swung for him, and he lunged at her with a tackle. Both of the royals were down on the ground, and the moment Kamui could sit up he grabbed at the Yato-no-kami in Corrin's hands. The princess felt the weapon being pulled away from her and began tugging back at the weapon. Neither of the two were willing to give up the weapon to their rival, and Corrin was the first to up the ante by kicking at Kamui in his stomach. He flinched but did not relent, and he pulled as hard as he could while attempting to stand up.

"No you don't!" Corrin shouted as she made it to her feet and redoubled her efforts. "Why. Won't. You. Just. Give. _Up‽_ Your tenacity will not pull you through here!"

"Think again Corrin!" Kamui shot back. "Hoshido _will_ win this‼" As they both kept pulling, neither of the two noticed the Yato-no-kami and its scabbard beginning to crack; the more force they put into the weapon the more it shattered. Light strangely began glowing in the crevices though the royals didn't notice it having their eyes closed. This continued on for a solid thirteen seconds until a bright light and a screeching sound erupted from the Yato-no-kami. The pair had stopped and watched the light and screech intensify before they reached a peak point, and before Kamui and Corrin could let go of the weapon a blinding explosion bathed them both, sending them onto the ground. Kamui and Corrin couldn't tell what was going on from being disoriented by the blast, and when they tried to move they couldn't feel themselves.

 _'Wha…What just…happened…'_ they both questioned. Their minds slowly began to lose focus and they were slipping into unconsciousness, but at the very least they could hear their siblings calling out to them. They couldn't tell for the life of them who it was or who said what, but they swore that it they said something along the lines of "please get up" or "don't' die on us". Soon they couldn't form a single thought and found themselves completely fading into darkness.

* * *

Somewhere in the world, a young aqua-haired woman dressed in white and dark blue garbs stood before a lake, a deep in thought expression crossing her face as she looked off into the water. She held her hands at a small pendant at her chest and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, she began to sing.

 _"You~ are the o~cean's gray waves~…"_ With her eyes still closed, she began taking light steps toward the lake, continuing her song, _"…destined to seek~ life beyond~ the shore~ just out of reach~…"_ By now she was gradually submerging herself more into the water with tears streaming down her face, and before long she had gone completely under the surface. Beneath her laid sunken tree branches, yet as the woman began swimming toward her final destination, the tree branches were soon replaced with full-grown trees and floating portions of castles and land began to decorate the underwater landscape. Right before the woman made her way past a bright light she finished her last segment of the song. _"…Yet~ the waters~ ever change~, flowing like time, the path is~ yours to climb~…"_


	2. Chapter 1a: Nohrian Trust

Early morning came to the Kingdom of Nohr and its air treated the denizens to a chilly reception. Outside of the large Castle Krakenburg only a few souls dared to wander outside of their homes at such an ungodly hour, and that was out of the few souls who were awake to begin with. Within Krakenburg a similar scenario played out; the crater castle was effectively a ghost town as virtually everyone was still sound asleep. One person in particular would soon awaken: the second princess of Nohr named _**Janice Corinna "Corrin"**_ _ **Plantagenet**_. The young woman began stirring in her tower's only bed as consciousness slowly returned to her until she finally opened her eyes.

 _"Morning…"_ Corrin mumbled as she sat up. She looked to her bedsides and found her four attendants still sleeping; they weren't early birds like she was and that gave her time to plan out her day's schedule before they could do that for her. Feeling awake enough she pushed herself out of bed and shambled over to her window to take care of her hygienic needs behind a curtain; after about five minutes she had finished up, moving on perform a quick exercise session: push-ups, sit-ups, and various stretches. She worked in a fast yet steady rhythm and completed an entire minute of each exercise, totaling to an amount of thirteen minutes. She went on to clothe herself afterward and had no problems finding an outfit to wear. Her only outfit was a light gray dress with minimal armor in the abdomen and highlights of black, dark gray, and gold. It also came with a dark blue cape that wrapped around to the front, a black hairband with a black and gold clip, black panties, and a pair of barefoot stockings colored like the dress. As bizarre as it may have looked to the Nohrians, Corrin had treasured the outfit as it was the only reminder she had of her life before she was struck with amnesia and subsequently locked away in the tower she lived in. She slipped the outfit on piece by piece until it was all fitted on her properly; now fully dressed, the woman went over to her dresser and took out four different swords of bronze, iron, steel, and silver. With everything set Corrin left out through her door without disturbing her sleeping attendants.

 _'Xander should be at the rooftop by now,'_ Corrin thought to herself as she walked down the dark hallways. Everything was near pitch-black but she could clearly see where she was going. As she made it to the stairway spire leading to the roof a thought came to her mind. _'What was that dream all about, and why do I keep having it over and over? It feels so familiar to me, yet I don_ _'_ _t recall it ever happening. I suppose I_ _'_ _ll_ _just_ _ask one of the others what it means.'_ The princess absent-mindedly climbed up the cold stairway as she had done every day of her walking life, focusing on meeting her brother. Scarce amounts of light could be seen as she made it closer to the top, and soon her eyes met the tower's rooftop and a single person standing near the edge. It was a blonde man dressed in violet, obsidian, and gold paladin attire standing next to his similarly dressed black stallion, gazing out at the early morning sky with his arms folded behind his back and with his back turned to his visitor. Though it didn't look like it, the man knew he would have company before long. Corrin walked up to the man and promptly knelt before him in respect.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** ** _PARADISE (DARK)_**

"Good morning Corrin," the man spoke. "I am glad to see that you are as diligent as always."

"I must be diligent and more to be deemed instrumental to the advancement of Nohr," Corrin responded. "One day I shall leave this tower and become a servant of Nohr if I am worthy enough, and if I am to remain as such I must always put forth maximum efficiency and effort. A royal of Nohr must settle for no less."

"Well-spoken Corrin." Xander complimented with a soft smile, turning around to face his junior sister. "With a resolve like that and with the work you put forth, I have utmost faith that you will reach that threshold in due time as ordained. You may rise." Corrin did as Xander told, standing to her feet to look him in his eyes. "I know that you have prepared yourself for this morning's training session, so the only thing left for you is to choose five swords to duel with. This includes the few extra swords I have brought for you along with the swords you yourself have brought. Take your time with your decision."

"I will." Corrin looked over the additional swords that Xander brought with him: an armourslayer, a wyrmslayer, a killing edge, and a levin edge. Immediately the princess axed the two "slayer" series swords, seeing no remote advantage that they would give her in battle, and she chose the other two special swords that were available to her. Then she looked at her own swords, discarding the bronze sword just as quickly as she had done with the "slayer" series swords. Now she was left with an iron sword, a steel sword, a silver sword, a killing edge, and a levin edge in her possession. "There, all done."

"Your favorite set I see," Xander spoke. "Very well then. As you can see my weapons have already been prepared." The paladin had only brought a large pilum next to his two trademark weapons: his spear he crafted to test Corrin with and the hallowed sword of darkness Siegfried, his personal favorite. "With our gear ready I'll briefly discuss your passing requirements for this session: you are to withstand a minimum of five entire minutes against me, or you are to knock me off of Camus. Attacking Camus himself will penalize your grade, so be wary for that. Before we begin, allow me to set up an arena that will protect us from lethal blows." The man walked toward the center of the rooftop and held his hands clasped together as he began speaking, and Corrin simply looked on in confusion.

 _"O' great Anankos, hallowed father who resides within the earth, heed your son's call: grant me the strength to protect our beings from unintended mortal blights…"_ He then began channeling his latent dragon powers from within his core to outside of his body, manifesting as a dragon of wind coiling around him. Though he was used to it by now, it was a new and shocking sight for Corrin.

 _'What the devil?'_ Corrin thought. _'Xander never did anything like this before…'_

 _"I command this breath of wind to dispel the clouds of death from this battleground‼"_ The prince held his arms up as the windy dragon changed shape into gusts with a roar, forming a condensed sphere as they traveled up into Xander's hands. The prince then "pulled" the sphere apart, causing it to fire off into every direction. Within seconds, the rooftop itself was covered in a divine breeze, making the Nohrians themselves feel as light as air on the inside. The feeling was familiar to Xander, but to Corrin it was a new sensation that placed a great deal of worry into her. "It is done. Now if one of us lands a strike that is sure to kill the other, we will be spared from that terrible fate, and thus the blow will count as a knockout blow instead." Xander noticed the dumbstruck expression on Corrin's face and gave a light chuckle in response. "I don't believe I've ever demonstrated this to you before have I?"

"Wha…what just…"

"As descendants of the dusk dragon, we royalty are born with a power known as the 'Dragon's Vein'. This remarkable ability allows us to manipulate our world in any way we see fit. This is done by calling upon the breaths of earth, water, air, or fire. It does take tremendous power for us humans to do so, and it places considerable strain on our bodies without proper preparations. For true dragons however, the cost to utilize their Dragon's Vein is negligible."

"Wait, does that mean that I…"

"Yes, you possess this ability as well. I will get around to explaining that more in-depth when the time comes."

"Oh. O-Okay then."

"With that out of the way, I am prepared to engage you whenever you are ready Corrin." Corrin almost forgot about the training session and it took her a while to psyche herself up, but she couldn't keep the fact that Xander had such a power out of her head.

"I was born ready Xander," she said, regaining her sense of battle readiness. As she drew her iron sword Corrin kept her stance neutral to make Xander guess what her first action would be, and Xander mimicked the gesture.

"As you say so. Let us proceed."

 ** _Theme_** ** _: DUSK FALLS (FIRE)_**

The two Nohrians stared each other down, scanning the stance of their opponent for any flaw to exploit. Corrin was the one who took the initiative, hoping to draw out a reaction from Xander that would undermine the elder royal; he simply tossed his pilum at the advancing princess. She dodged the paladin's attack toward her right just as he predicted, yet as he held his shield up to block his sister she did something he didn't expect: she slid under Camus to his and Xander's right and swiftly propelled herself at the prince with an attack. The paladin raised his spear to block the incoming strike and nearly lost his balance atop Camus from the impact of Corrin's attack. Camus bolted away from the princess after the attack to give his rider a chance to attack, but Corrin countered the action by switching to her levin edge and casting a lightning bolt from the magical weapon. Xander was able to deflect the lightning bolt with his shield and readied his pilum for an attack of his own; Camus noticed it and charged toward Corrin, stopping short of the princess to allow his rider a safe attacking distance. Corrin rolled out of the way and prepared to fire another lightning bolt at her brother but he wasn't going to let her get into her comfort zone that easily. Almost grazing her leg was Xander's pilum tossed at her, but Corrin didn't have enough time to completely dodge his preceding move, taking a slash across her abdomen from Xander's spear. Corrin flinched from the attack but didn't falter very much, quickly lashing out with a feint to throw Xander off of her while she backed away to charge her levin edge.

"Not bad Corrin," Xander spoke. "You've improved your stance and style quite well since yesterday."

"I aim only for excellence," Corrin responded. "I will never settle for a lack of improvement." The princess renewed her assault with a dash and a vertical slash. She swung the weapon so fast that Xander only had enough time to block the attack with his own weapon. What Corrin did next caught the paladin off-guard; Xander pushed back against his sister to overpower her, falling right into a new ploy of hers. As sudden as she came down on him she pulled away while ducking, letting him swing his arm in a wide arc. The moment he was left open to attack Corrin dove back in with a charged stab. She didn't aim for his heart by force of habit, going for his sides instead. The stab was followed up with a horizontal slash across Xander's chest and it would have been followed up with another stab had Camus not realize that his rider was under siege; he began galloping away from his rider's opponent to give Xander time to breathe, but Corrin was not going to give him that pleasure. The princess pursued the stallion around the battlefield while firing lightning bolts at Xander, only managing one barely landed shot on the prince. Before she knew it Camus was barreling at her full speed as Xander brandished his spear, forcing the princess into a defensive stance. Camus came closer and closer before suddenly passing her by without Xander laying a scratch on her; Corrin looked to see why and saw Camus heading toward Xander's discarded weapon. He grabbed his rider's pilum with his maw as he ran before handing it to the paladin. Ranged weapons were the last things Corrin wanted to deal with so she devised another plan to rob him of an advantage over her. As soon as Xander drew close with the spear in hand Corrin raised her levin edge high, calling down a lightning bolt in front of her. This immediately stopped Camus in his tracks just as Corrin predicted and taking the opening she leapt at Xander to attack, but he saw through Corrin's scheme. He swung his shield arm to block and redirect Corrin's attack while thrusting his spear into her abdomen as she hung suspended in midair. Pulling the weapon out of her wasn't the end of his counterattack, striking Corrin with a back-hand shield punch.

"Gheck…should have seen that one coming…" Corrin bitterly mused. "If you want things done you do them the old-fashioned way…" The princess put her levin edge away and stood in a defensive stance. Xander nearly mistook her for yielding the fight but knew she wasn't a person to back down from training; keeping his wary gaze on her he kept to his spear but that was when Corrin struck. She ran up to Xander and caught him in a bear hug, keeping his arms at his sides as he struggled.

"What—what are you—" The next thing he knew was his sister's legs wrapping around his waist right before he could feel himself losing balance. Looking to his sister he could see a devious smile on her face, and in short notice he quickly realized what she was up to. "I love you Corrin, but you're not passing this session that easily." The man moved his body the opposite direction his sister tugged in, pushing her arms apart each time she loosened her grip. As humorous as Corrin looked trying to drag him off of Camus it wouldn't last; Xander furiously tossed himself around to shake his clingy sister off, throwing her onto the ground in a huff. He reached for his spear once again just as Corrin reached for her own blade.

"Almost had you that time brother," Corrin spoke with a cheeky smile, "but I'll get you next time."

"Perhaps you will, perhaps you won't," Xander responded. "Don't think that I'll give you a next time."

"Not counting on it." The two royals immediately clashed with their favorite blades, unleashing a torrent of charged strikes at each other. Meanwhile, back in Corrin's room, her vassals were already set to oversee their masters' training session; everyone whose name wasn't Felicia was wide awake and didn't look like they simply crawled out of bed.

"Come now Felicia," Gunther spoke. "we mustn't be even more late for Lady Corrin's big day."

" _*yawn*_ I know…but can I at least get a cup of coffee?" Felicia drawled out.

"The only thing you really need to wake you up is something cold," Flora said. "Give yourself a chill, pull some moisture out of the air and freeze that into an ice pop, or whatever else is necessary."

"I'd say she should freeze her face," Jakob said. "If that of all things doesn't work then nothing will."

"What exactly were you doing last night, and every other night for that matter? You're not getting enough sleep and it really shows."

" _Muh?_ " Felicia said still out of it.

"Miss Flora's right Felicia," Gunther spoke. "You haven't been up to speed as of late. His Glory is considering a new exercise regimen and curfew for you to follow very soon."

"Perhaps _that_ will serve to make you more diligent," Jakob said.

"But I _am_ … _*yawn*_ …digilent…" Felicia responded, though no one really took her word for it.

"Come on Felicia, we won't know how to solve this issue unless you tell us what's going on," Flora scolded. "What's keeping you up so late at night?" Felicia paused for a second to think the question over; she found the answer and her already drowsy face sank even lower. She shook the expression off yet the others had already noticed it. "Felicia, what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing. I just remembered that we're going to be late for Corrin's training session." Jakob and Gunther immediately tensed up at that, but Flora only gave Felicia a subtle glare. She could tell when her sister was hiding something but she didn't want to press the issue any further; Felicia did make a good point about not delaying any further. She'd confront Felicia about the matter afterwards.

"Very well then. Let's get going." With their own gear already packed up the four vassals made their way towards the rooftop where their masters dueled to oversee the young princess's progress.

During this time the two royals were still locked in their combat with each other; Corrin had just swiped at her brother in time to deflect a swing aimed at her neck, and using her momentum she threw out a second slash. Xander wasted no time shielding the attack and thrusting his spear at Corrin, ultimately missing as the princess used the momentum created by having been blocked to evade him. Corrin internally realized that while she would pass if she lasted four minutes against Xander, it was in her nature to do better than simply lasting against him. Putting her head to use more than ever she decided to watch Xander's movements more closely, feeling as though time itself slowed down to her. She could suddenly see the direction of Xander's next thrust more carefully, and judging the amount of force he was putting into the swing she was able to counterattack. The princess quickly ducked out of the way and quickly followed up with an upward slash at Xander, causing the man to drop his weapon in (literal) shock. Camus backed up sensing danger but Corrin grew more impatient at the horse prolonging the battle. Knowing that the horse would not let her jump atop of his rider a second time, Corrin ran to catch up to the fleeing equestrian and yanked away the pilum sheathed on Camus, flinging it to the furthest edges of the arena. Xander realized Corrin's ploy with a dire and sour face, halting his horse's trek. Corrin immediately stopped in her own tracks as well to observe Xander's next action; with no other weapon on him or his horse Xander turned to his prized sword: Siegfried. Strengthening his resolve to draw out his sister's full potential, he could feel its sacred dark flames coursing through his flesh underneath his armor, and the familiar power slowly settled into his core. Corrin couldn't help but smile from ear to ear with her brother finally in his element, getting the man exactly where she wanted him. The prince turned to face his sister with a stern expression, and she knew just what to expect next.

"Impressive," Xander spoke. "You've managed to temporarily disarm me and make retrieving my weapons impractical. However, the fight is far from over; you still have two more minutes of survival left against me, and now you've brought the dragon out of its den."

"That's precisely what I planned," Corrin responded, "and do I have a surprise for you." Xander raised a curious brow at the remark but brushed it off afterward, shifting into his more traditional fighting stance; Corrin did the same while maintaining her smug smirk. This time Xander took the initiative strike, cutting vast swath after swaths of darkness before him in an attempt to force Corrin into making a mistake. The princess was in no rush, simply dodging the waves of darkness that she could and blocking the others, gradually progressing toward Xander. The paladin was savvy enough to at least back up as his sister closed in on him, but his sister was a crafty vixen. She began firing minimally charged blades of lightning of her own at the waves of darkness, cutting through each one before they could reach her and she sped up her advance. In retaliation, Xander poured more power into his swings, bringing forth more powerful blasts. Corrin simply upped the ante in response, waiting for Xander to fall into her trap; with the increased frustration of his ranged game not working Xander applied a more direct approach with his duel, and that was when he doomed himself. He unleashed a multitude of swift strikes at Corrin once she closed the distance, and every single one missed her.

"You've gotten better at evading my attacks," Xander said, "and you still have just a minute left before you pass. Impressive."

"Thank you brother," Corrin said amidst dodging her brother, "but if you think _that's_ impressive, I still have one ace in the hole left for me." Instead of evading the next attack she allowed Xander to strike her, albeit while blocking the blade with her own. This lowered the prince's own guard long enough for Corrin to easily lodge her levin edge in Siegfried's gap. Surprised, Xander attempted to yank the sword away but Corrin held the weapons firm, refusing to budge. As Xander continued to put more power into pulling his weapon away he just barely noticed the bright glow that Corrin's levin edge was giving off, and when he did notice it was too late. Corrin had been charging her levin edge with magic energy during Xander's onslaught of slashes, and she saved it to unleash it all in one powerful bolt at the right moment. The magical electricity danced throughout the blade and made its way to Xander's arm, electrocuting the paladin with convulsive force. The princess called off the attack in a flash and made a sweeping slash at Xander, cutting across his chest in his vulnerable state before unleashing one last attack meant to do him in. As Camus retreated once again Corrin lunged at her brother throwing out an attack he didn't expect or prepare for: a flying stomp-kick to the face. The attack disoriented him so much that he dropped Siegfried to the ground, leaving him wide open for another electrically-charged attack. Grasping both blade and handle with her hands, Corrin pushed the sword's flat edge into Xander while finding footing on Camus to leap off of. She had enough strength to throw her eldest sibling off of his own horse with a tackle, and with a harsh clang the paladin prince finally crashed onto the ground soundly defeated.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** ** _PARADISE (DARK)_**

Corrin took a moment of pause to observe her fallen opponent as she stood from off of him; her brother struggled to look up at her but he was met with a warm smile and her extended arm. It took a while for the man to reciprocate the smile and extend his own arm to be helped up. In no time the prince was on his own two feet again, and barely after the two downed their medical beverages they were back at full strength once more. As soon as they disposed of the glasses Xander took to one of Corrin's shoulders with a proud smile.

"Congratulations Corrin." the man spoke. "I am proud to announce that you have passed this training examination with flying colors. I mean it wholeheartedly when I say this: you have become a knight of Nohr fit to stand as my peer along with the rest of the army."

"Truly?" Corrin asked.

"Truly, and on your eighteenth birthday no less." The statement caught Corrin off guard for a moment until she remembered that the day was May 20th, making it indeed her eighteenth birthday. Before either of the two did anything else a round of applause rang out all around them; they looked around to find Corrin's vassals and the rest of their siblings sitting off toward the side of the tower, seated comfortably on either the tower's structure or on their mounts. Their presence was a surprise for Corrin and Xander and soon the applause died off with Camilla, Leonn, and Elise approaching their siblings.

"Marvelous, simply marvelous you two," Camilla spoke. "You in particular, Corrin, you put on _quite_ the stimulating performance throughout your duel with Xander, not that he was a slouch in that department."

"I know right?" Leon said in agreement. "Man, almost makes _me_ want to go toe-to-toe with her. I haven't had a really exciting spar in a long time."

"Congrats sis!" Elise said while crushing her elder sister with a hug.

"You all were…watching us?" the stunned princess asked.

"Pffft, of course we were," Leon answered. "Why would today be any different from yesterday?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe being caught up in my duel with Xander might have made me forget that we were to have an audience today."

"That was partially my doing," Xander spoke. "I wanted you to focus purely on our duel today so I omitted saying or doing anything that would distract you from it. Usually I would have announced that the others were to be observing your battle with me but I didn't want you to think on how they would be judging your performance. I also omitted this very crucial detail concerning our particular duel." The oldest prince shot a look at his brother and nodded, and Leon walked toward his preceding sister before stopping just short of a full person's length away from her. He took out a black, gold, and violet tome with the Nohrian insignia on it and laid it on the ground before her, and while reciting an ancient Nohrian chant the prince channeled his magical energies into the tome. It opened and flipped through its seemingly endless pages rapidly until it suddenly stopped near the middle, blinking in a bright violet light of magic and then exploding. Corrin stepped back and shielded her eyes from the display, and she opened them up to be meet with an unexpected sight: she was facing a life-sized, magical phantom-image of her dear father and king sitting atop of his throne resting his head on his fist. He regarded her with his usual expression of indifference and opened his mouth to speak.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** ** _GARON, KING OF NOHR_**

"Corrin," the elderly king greeted, "of what business do you have for contacting me?" The princess was momentarily left in awe at seeing her father for the first time in a very long time, and she was surprised to see that he had hardly changed. She felt compelled to drop to her knee in reverence for her father after a second or two.

"Go on Corrin," Xander spoke to her. "Tell Father what you had just done." Corrin was grateful that Xander gave her the suggestion considering that she didn't actually have anything to say to her father.

"*ahem*, Father, I have bested my brother Xander in a combat training session today." The man's expression failed to change upon hearing the news though he was quick to respond.

"Xander, is this true?" Garon questioned.

"Yes father. It came as a surprise to me that she had managed to defeat me in under five minutes."

"To hear you say that you are surprised implies that you did not believe that she could accomplish such a feat." The smiles on everyone's faces had fallen near instantly and they were replaced with confused expressions.

"Wh-What? N-no, I didn't mean to imply—"

"And to be perfectly honest I am skeptical and even concerned of the claim that Corrin had genuinely bested you in combat Xander. This could mean that either she was underestimated which led to your defeat or that your combat prowess may have to be subjected to much more scrutiny than I had thought." Everyone present had winced at the king's words and Corrin was just about to defend Xander until she remembered from Leon that Garon didn't like being talked back to. The king noticed their expressions and immediately wiped them away with his next statement. "However, I am the one who raised you to be the honest and refined knight of Nohr that you are today, so I should have no real reason to doubt your claims." A sigh of relief was shared throughout the tower rooftop and Elise immediately perked up to her usual self.

"You should have seen her father!" the young girl squealed. "Corrin and Xander were whooshing back and forth throwing out blow after blow, and—" Garon's face had finally changed into an annoyed look as he raised a hand to silence his youngest.

"Enough Elise," the king spoke. "I need no flourished and winded tale of how Corrin bested Xander; the simple news that she had done so is all that I need to hear." The young princess made a dejected "oh…", quickly saddening but jumping right back up to cheeriness. Garon then redirected his cold gaze at Corrin.

"I know not whether Xander explained the outcome of passing the training session with him, though I shall enlighten you on it since I am here. As a testament to your never-ending hard work striving to become a worthy knight of Nohr you may be granted the opportunity to leave the Northern tower to take residence in Castle Krakenburg." Upon hearing the news Corrin's face became a mixture of shock and happiness, but Garon continued on before she said anything else. "As with how Nohr's climate currently stands, you are on a waiting list of one hour to come and claim the rewards your siblings gathered for you before they go to the next in line recipient. Take all of your possessions that hold significant value to you so long as they serve a practical purpose should you decide to establish new residence in Castle Krakenburg." Corrin's smile grew even wider at the prospect of moving in with her family after being separated from them for so many years, only receiving visits every once in a while at her father's ordination. Again, Garon interrupted the mood with his final words. "You have precisely one hour maximum to arrive in my personal throne room. Your siblings will guide you to me once you arrive in the castle so do not lose sight of them. Regardless as to whether you arrive in time to lay claim to the rewards acquired for you, I would still wish to have you in my throne room for a briefing of your new duties as a knight of Nohr within two hours. Do not disappoint me my child." With his final words spoken the holographic image of Garon flickered before phasing out entirely, and the book used to conjure the image closed itself before flying back into Leon's hands.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** ** _PARADISE (DARK)_**

"Well, wasn't that something to remember?" Elise said.

"I don't believe it," Corrin muttered. "I've become a knight of Nohr and I can finally leave this tower…" The princess started off with a light chuckle before evolving into a full-blown laughter of joy, hugging all of her siblings and vassals. It was rare to see Corrin remotely joyous and thus the cheer caught on to everyone else, celebrating Corrin's "graduation". "My goodness, I just…wow, I finally passed. This almost seems too good to be true."

"But it isn't," Leon said. "It's really happening, and that's because you worked so hard to get here sis. We all knew that one day you'd make it, and that you made it on your eighteenth birthday of all things…"

"It may as well have been a passage of rites," Camilla said. "One of our precious little girls has finally made the jump into the beginning of womanhood."

"Congratulations Lady Corrin," Gunther spoke, "and well done. You put up a very good battle against Xander in the process and outgambitted him more than once."

"That's a sign that she's truly ready for combat," Flora said.

"She even landed a _flying kick_ on him right before she finished him off!" Felicia exclaimed. "How cool is that‽"

"While I would love to compliment Mistress Corrin as you all, I do believe that Xander shouldn't be overlooked," Jakob said. "He put up the best fight he could against her and still gave her quite some difficulty in passing in the first place. The fact that Corrin won in the face of it all highlights how powerful and skilled she was in defeating another powerful and skilled opponent. Xander came very close to winning just as she was, though it seems that fate had other plans."

"Truly, thank you all for all the support you have lent me throughout all of these years." Corrin said. "I wouldn't have been able to do get this far otherwise."

"Of course, you must also thank yourself for being so dedicated to strive for excellence," Xander spoke. "You worked tirelessly to achieve this, and though we have been with you from the beginning it was mostly you who managed to get yourself to where you are now." Corrin nodded slowly, still unable to get the smile off of her face.

"I believe that now is the time to get your stuff packed Lady Corrin," Gunther said. "We've spent at least a minute or two with the congratulations, and we want to make sure that you get the rewards reserved for you while we can."

"Right."

"We'll help you pack!" Elise said. It took the entire group just seconds to tidy up the former battleground and a minute to make their way to Corrin's room. In less than five minutes everything Corrin owned was tightly wrapped up. As soon as they were leaving the tower to ride to Castle Krakenburg they were met with a familiar face.

"Good morning lords and ladies," the blue-and-red-haired maid greeted. "How may I—*gasp* Lady Corrin?"

"Lilith?" Corrin asked. "Oh my goodness, Lilith!" The princess ran up to and hugged the maid who reciprocated the gesture. "Ooh, it is so _wonderful_ to see you again after all this time! How've you been?"

"I've been fine. And you?"

"Feeling very good today!"

"That's good to hear. By the way, I don't mean to be rude, but where are you headed?"

"To Castle Krakenburg! I passed my training session and I have one hour to come and get all of the things that are reserved for me, including new residence."

"Really? Wow, that's so wonderful Lady Corrin! Well in that case, I better not hold you all up anymore, so I'll see you back at the castle as soon as I'm done with my run."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"King Garon has me on one of his herb-collecting runs, so I'll be away for a few hours."

"Really? But we just saw each other again in months."

"I know, I know, but it's best not to keep the king waiting when he has you do something. We'll see each other very soon again. Fare you well everyone!"

"Bye!" Elise said waving to Lilith. With that the royals and vassals rode out with the little amount of Corrin's belongings in tow. Corrin couldn't help but think back to all of the years she had spent in the Northern Tower as the building became smaller and smaller in the distance, and when she relived her last day in the tower something she had almost forgotten about came back. She had wanted to ask the others about the constant dream she's been having for quite some time now. As it was now though they were all riding to the castle, so maybe it was better for her to ask about it once they arrived. Maybe she could even ask her father what it all meant. It had plagued her many nights and she desired to know the answer; for each day that passed she began to feel that it was all real somehow, and an ominous feeling inside of her told her that it was a sign of something very ominous and life changing approaching fast. She prayed that that wasn't the case.


	3. Chapter 1b: Hoshidan Unity

Everything was covered in complete darkness, and no sound could be heard. It was simply a vast stretch of primordial void that—wait…a small sound could be heard off in the distance. It was coming closer and closer before it stopped only to be replaced by a constant tapping sound. The darkness had yet to dispel entirely, and before it could dispel at all there was a loud cracking sound that resounded through the darkness, and a yelp could be heard in response. All of a sudden it all vanished, replaced with the scenario of what appeared to be a massive wall of wood. What could possibly—

 ** _Theme: PETALS IN THE WIND_**

"*ahem* Excuse me, Lord Kamui," a stern voice said. The third prince of Hoshido, **_Yamato Kamui_** , immediately snapped his head upward toward the voice's owner, Yukimura Sanada. Confused, he took a look around the room and found several others staring at him, some of which looked exasperated while the others looked ready to laugh. He returned his attention to Yukimura who was all but upset, finding a ruler in his hand as well as a miniature puddle of saliva where his own mouth used to be, turning back up to the professor with a sheepish grin. "That is the fifth time this month that I've caught you asleep in my classroom Lord Kamui, and you're not a student of mine every single day either. How many more times am I going to have to wake you up?"

"S-Sorry," Kamui nervously apologized.

"A simple apology will not cut it this time I'm afraid. I would like to know exactly why this is occurring as often as it does Lord Kamui." With the entire room's eyes on him the young man wanted to just disappear from the spotlight, sighing in resignation as he prepared to explain to his professor why he's been falling asleep in the middle of his lectures.

"Well, it's not that I find your subjects boring any, Mister Yukimura." The prince said this with a nervous scratch of his head while avoiding his professor's powerful gaze, much to everyone else's apparent surprise bar Yukimura himself.

"Then what is it? Be honest with me Lord Kamui." Now he _really_ wished that he was back home instead of in his classroom. Given how close Yukimura was with his mother, chances were that the man would relay this incident straight to her, presumably with the other royal siblings and the soldiers nearby, and he'd never hear the end of it. But he continued to tell his teacher what's been making him fall asleep so often.

"Well, it's this dream I keep having."

"A dream?"

"Yeah. I've had the same dream for the last month almost every night, and I don't know what to make of it. That and I'm always really tired after my sparring lessons."

"Does this dream bother you that much even while in class, enough to make you fall asleep?"

"Yes for the first part, but not exactly for the second part. It's about how we're at war with Nohr because my twin sister killed our mother. Every day it just feels more and more real, and I'm worried that it might not be just a dream after all. As much as I want to forget about it I find myself thinking back to it from time to time." Some of the other classmates rolled their eyes while others looked more concerned, and Yukimura shared the sentiments of the latter types of students. The man remained silent for nearly half of a minute before he turned his attention to the rest of the class.

"Everyone, please refer to page number one-hundred-and-eight to begin reading the fourth chapter of your books. I'll be right back." Some students, Kamui included, nodded their heads and began flipping their books to the aforementioned page, but Yukimura grabbed the young man by his wrist. "I'm not referring to you Lord Kamui; I want you to come with me for a moment." The prince took a swallow of air remembering the last time Yukimura escorted him outside of the classroom, relenting to stand and follow his professor out of the classroom. He could already hear some of the others murmuring about him "getting in trouble again" before he even left, and even Yukimura could hear some of the more rambunctious students all of a sudden begin to speak up. The man pinched his bridged and sighed before muttering something about "rowdy students". He then faced Kamui with a serious face and spoke again.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_**

"I mean not to scare you, but perhaps your dream is not actually a dream at all," the man said. "More frighteningly, it could possibly be a prelude to the future beyond us. I have little experience in this field however, so I am not the best person to refer to for a remedy for this."

"What should I do then?" the young prince asked.

"What I would recommend is to go see Miss Yamata."

"Lady Orochi?"

"Yes. She can decipher whether or not this repeated dream you have is due to the brain constantly replaying the event in your head as you sleep or whether it is some outside force responsible for this, something that your brain is not actively in control of." It was just then that Kamui noticed Yukimura's fingers on one hand moving in several ways. At the same time he heard some of the students inside of the classroom suddenly raise their voices, and not to soon the door opened to reveal a large puppet in the doorway. This spooked Kamui a fair deal, especially when the large puppet handed a small sheet of paper to Yukimura before returning inside of the classroom. The other man noticed the spooked look on the prince as he glanced between him and the door. "That was simply one of my puppets; there's no cause for alarm Lord Kamui."

"B-But, it just…you just…"

"The puppet's strings are hard to see, fairly long, and I can retract them to make handling the puppet easier. I'll show you a more proper demonstration later, but for now I want you to take this sheet of paper with you." The puppeteer handed the sheet of paper to Kamui who read it:

 _"Lord Kamui is not skipping my class; he has been sent here by me to solve his issue with your aid. Signed: Yukimura Sanada."_ The note also had the divine mage's home address and work address just in case the woman didn't turn up at one of the two locations.

"I'm aware of the last time you had an issue and Miss Yamata assumed that you were playing hooky, so I wrote a note for her to read this time so that she won't send you back here. She'll know it's me because of the handwriting and signature."

"Alright."

"Oh, and Kamui?"

"Yes Mister Yukimura?"

"I want you to report Miss Yamata's findings to me once you're finished with her. If this dream turns out to be more than just a repeating dream then I'll need to know as soon as possible; if that is the case then we can expect to have conflict on our hands very soon, and as it is right now the kingdom of Hoshido would stand little chance against an all-out invasion, let alone a war. I advise that if such is the case that you notify everyone else too. Am I understood?"

"O-Of course sir."

"One last thing." Again Yukimura's fingers were at work controlling the puppet from inside of his classroom and again some students became louder. This time when the puppet opened the door it had several large sheets of paper and Kamui's schoolbag in its hands before handing them both to Yukimura and heading back inside. "This is your homework assignment for today. I expect it to be completed with quality work by our next class meeting next week. Understood?"

"Oh, um, sure. Understood." The prince received the papers and belongings from his professor and placed the papers inside of his bag.

"Good. I will see you later then." With that the puppeteer headed back inside of his classroom, immediately silencing the students with his mere presence. He closed the door behind him, letting Kamui know to go seek out Orochi.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** **** ** _UNFAMILIAR STREETS_**

It took the young man a twenty-five minute stroll to come upon the home where the purple-haired diviner lived. It was a quaint house to put it lightly, resembling the antiquated and feudal housing from long ago. It stood out against the other houses so boldly making it almost impossible to not notice, describing its owner very aptly. Kamui walked up to the front doors and gave a light knock to alert the spellcaster of his presence. After an entire minute passed there was no response, and thinking Orochi was in another room Kamui was about to repeat his action until he noticed a strange handle off to the side. The words behind it spelled out "DOOR CHIME, PULL DOWN". The prince held the handle and, as the bolded letters instructed, pulled it downward from where it was fastened. A strange and ancient melody played from inside of the house loud enough for anyone outside to hear it, and before half of a minute could pass a small opening in-between the doors opened up with two purple eyes peering out through it. The eyes scanned Kamui from bottom to top and a loud gasp was heard before the opening closed back up. Kamui tried to look as dignified as possible and tried to greet Orochi but all of it flew right out the window once the doors flew open and the lady of the house greeted him.

"Oh me, oh my," the woman said, "if it isn't my _favorite_ little princey~!" Kamui tried to say hello had the woman not drag the poor lad into a tight hug, nearly suffocating him.

"Ooh, how I've missed you so! I could just squeeze you until you pop like a weasel!"

 _'No! Please don't do that! I don't want to go pop like a weasel!'_ Fortunately for him the woman released the young man from her hug, leaving him gasping for air after such a short time.

"How is my darling little Kamui?"

"Uh…er…" Kamui tried to answer with "fine" but Orochi's less-than-ideal appearance and surprise hug stole the words out of his mouth before he could have spoken them himself. Composure tends to melt away for barely-adults when faced with a grown woman looking as though she literally hurried out of the bath in nothing but a loose robe. The clearly coy smile on her face did not help matters any. "I-I…um, i-it's good to see you too L-Lady Orochi."

"Aw, it's lovely to see you too, although you _still_ didn't exactly answer my question."

"Whuh? O-Oh, I-I'm fine. H-How are you?"

"Just peachy milord. So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"U-Um, I need your help with something."

"Oh, so you're _not_ here to whisk me away to some fanciful place of whimsy? How disappointing. And here I was about to pick out my finest robes for the occasion." The woman played the part of the rejected would-be date, flustering the young man further.

"Wha—I—"

"At peace dear, I jest." Kamui could only sigh at Orochi's mannerisms. He's known her since he was a child but her antics never exactly caught on with him despite being familiar with them. "Anywho, you need Auntie Orochi's help milord?"

"Er, yes actually. You see, I've been—"

"Ah bup bup, we can discuss inside my home milord, _alone~_." Her expression and tone was enough to give Kamui spine chills and a flushed face, trying and failing to recollect his composure as the purple-haired diviner invited him in. The insides of Orochi's house was as one would expect from somebody like her: quaint and feudal in design even though it left Kamui with a sense of awe. Old paintings of warriors past and Tiger-related designs were apparently favorites of Orochi's, especially the tiger designs. Just then Orochi's voice called out to Kamui. "You know, a man usually invites himself over to a lady's house after arrangements between the two have been made earlier, right before whisking the madam away to a place of the two's choosing. Have you done this with any lady before?"

"Um, n-no, not really."

"Not really as in 'I've literally never done this before' or not really as in 'it's not what you're implying it to be'?"

"…The second one?"

"Oh, so you _have_ been over to another female's house before. What was her name?" Kamui could not believe that Orochi was asking him these things, almost as if he's been asking them out in some roundabout way. But as long as it satisfied her curiosity he'd go along with it.

"Miss Kazahana and Lady Kagerou."

" _Ooh,_ _two_ ladies I see; a girl around your age _and_ a much older woman. I see you're not too picky about your female company. Oh you _charmer_ , the women of the realm had best watch out for you…" Orochi's giggle made Kamui want to just run and hide, but fortunately for him she was done teasing him for the moment. "Anyways, back to the start. What do you need my help for dearie?"

"W-well, I've been having this dream over and over for the past month or so." Orochi had found yet another opportunity to fluster the young man further but she at least had the decency to allow him to finish. "It's the exact same dream too, not just slight changes here and there."

"Ah, such a dream is a rarity. Care to explain it to me milord? Just a little bit?"

"Well, it's about how Hoshido and Nohr were at war with each other. The Nohrian Army wanted to conquer Hoshido, and they invaded after my long lost sister killed our mother; our army fought back to defend our home from them."

"Goodness, well that certainly sounds like a doozie. And you've been having this same dream over and over for at least a month you say?"

"Yes ma'am. Mister Yukimura sent me to you to help see if it's just my brain doing this, or if it's something more. Here's a note from—"

"Oh, I don't need to see some silly old piece of parchment to know that he sent you."

"You…you don't?"

"Of course not; I can tell just by gazing into your eyes milord."

"Really? How?"

"Oh ho, that's _my_ little secret…Anyways, allow me to get properly dressed and we'll get started on this right away."

"Okay." The woman made to stand but she didn't leave the room, standing in the center of what seemed to be the family room. She flashed Kamui a devious smile and appeared to grab the hem of her robe. Looking away, Kamui thought he was just seeing things because of his dumb, perverted mind; that fancy lasted up until he felt thick and wet fur smack him dead in the face, knocking him over. He hurriedly tossed the woman's garments off of him, looking at the diviner and finding her in her familiar occupation's wardrobe. _'What the? How did she do that‽ She didn't look like she was wearing anything under that robe…'_ At the very least the wardrobe change put him at ease; he'd rather deal with an Orochi who was dressed than an Orochi whose robe looked like it would slip off with no warning.

"Now, let us see what lies in your mind Lord Kamui…"

 ** _Theme: HOMESICK (LIGHT)_**

The woman slunk toward the prince with two scrolls in her hands, spreading one set around Kamui on the floor in a circle and draping the other set atop Kamui's head like a crown. After setting the young man down into a kneeling position she then pulled out a third scroll seemingly from nowhere, framing the papers before her visage like a fan. Suddenly the o-fuda surrounding the prince lit up before levitating a small margin, rotating around him very slowly.

 _"O' ancient spirits of the Land of Hoshido, I hereby beckon your presence…"_ The o-fuda swirling about Kamui reached maximum speed and a multicolored pentagon appeared below Kamui. The center of a pentagon featured an ancient Hoshidan character and each of the edges held a small rose flame. A similar pentagon appeared below Orochi as she performed an intricate dance; Kamui recognized the movements as an ancient freewheeler dance, having seen Ryouma perform such an act once. No longer holding the scroll in her hand, Orochi swayed its eight talismans around her in constant motion. _"Come down onto this mortal vessel and divine upon us the answers we seek…"_ Once Orochi opened her eyes they weren't exactly the same: they were still the same color but they glowed in a bright otherworldly sheen. Her tone then took on a distant echo as she approached the now slightly-nervous Kamui, sounding as though there were multiple Orochis speaking in unison. _"Child, the reckoning is nigh…the spirits shall dissect your mind to discern the truth…"_ The supposedly possessed woman slipped behind Kamui and placed a single hand upon his neck with her index and middle finger. Her other hand formed a three fingered "claw" out of her thumb, index, and middle fingers. As she held the prince's head so that he faced the sky, she placed her thumb on the roof of his head and her fingers above his eyes. In a flash Kamui's eyes and mouth glowed the same color as Orochi's eyes, and then his mind went blank. _"We ancients of the Hoshido removed shall enlighten your mind child…"_ It happened in an instant; the invasion of countless untold spirits into his young mind, yet it felt as though it was an eternity ago. As the spirits exited the body of Kamui and entered the body of Orochi, it was all over in a heartbeats; Orochi was sent recoiling from the experience gasping all the while. As soon as Kamui regained his consciousness he rushed over to the woman who was struggling to breathe.

"Lady Orochi, all you alright‽" he asked concerned for her.

"Haahhh…yes…I'm quite fine dear…" the diviner answered.

"You need me to get you somewhere to relax?"

"No thank you, but thank you for your concern. Her grace certainly raised you into a fine gentleman…" Kamui laughed at that one while still flushing like a tomato, but when he looked to the smiling Orochi something about it seemed off to the prince: it was a false smile she wore. And though her eyes were often wide and glossy in whimsy, right now they appeared haunted as if she had seen a ghost.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** **** ** _TRUE FORM OF EVIL_**

"L-Lady Orochi? What's wrong?"

"What? Oh, oh no, nothing's wrong my dear." Kamui took a relieved sigh, figuring that the experience was simply a shock for the woman. She silenced those thoughts as soon as she found her breath again. "Nothing's wrong _yet_." All of the relief that Kamui had immediately dissipated, replaced with a growing dread.

"Wha—You mean that…"

"That dream you had…is not actually a dream. It is actually a vision of the future." The statement all but confirmed Kamui's worst nightmare. "It was sometimes said that her grace possesses limited foresight into the time that has yet to come, and with your 'dream' we now know that you must have inherited it from her."

 _'Thank the great spirits that Mister Yukimura sent me here…'_ "Can you tell me anything else about the vision, like when the events occur?"

"That is something I unfortunately do not have the power to do."

"Oh no…" This caused both of the Hoshidans a good deal of stress, knowing that the events are real but not knowing when they'll occur. Unless they could pinpoint the date and time then the two would simply live with constant paranoia of something that could potentially be quite a ways off or something that could even be occurring right now. At the very least they both were aware that the dream was events that would soon unfold, and with the information Kamui needed he was about to seek out his professor. "W-Well, thank you for your help Lady Orochi. This might seem abrupt, but I have to go find Mister Yukimura right now. He told me to see him once I finished here."

"Go on ahead." Kamui gave a respectful bow before sharing a comforting hug with the woman. He took his belongings and hurried out of the door as fast as he could, racing against an unknown clock back to his school. The journey would get him to his professor sooner than he thought but left him quite exhausted, and he ignored the various glances he received as he bolted through the campus grounds like some runaway convict. The prince hoped that the professor was still inside of his classroom; much to his luck the man was, still teaching his class just like any other day. Without any sense of tact the Kamui barged inside of the classroom calling out his professor, drawing away the attention from the current lesson.

"Lord Kamui?" the professor wondered before his strict personality kicked in. "How many times must I tell you _not_ to disrupt my class‽"

"I-I'm sorry but this is important! The dream I told you about, it's not actually a dream at all! It's a vision!" Several of the students gave confused looks at the prince's statement, though some of them remembered what he had said earlier very well, beginning to harbor a deep feeling of dread. Yukimura realized that the revelation could cause a panic in his classroom that would spread throughout the rest of the school campus before naturally spreading throughout the rest of Hoshido. He calmly stood to his feet before politely dismissing himself from the classroom before leading Kamui back outside into the hallway. Once the man was certain that the pair wouldn't have any prying ears or eyes he resumed his conversation.

"Now, back to what you we're telling me, are you absolutely certain that it was not a dream at all?" the man questioned.

"Yes," Kamui affirmed. "Lady Orochi performed some kind of a ritual on me and, once it was over she said that it was a vision of the future." It took a long time for Yukimura to find his voice again, not for lack of complete shock. As he took the information in he began conjuring many possibilities about how a vision of that degree could be averted once the time came.

"When will this all occur?"

"Well, we don't know."

"You don't?"

"No. Lady Orochi said that it's out of her power to find out." The news was very much distressing to the puppeteer, being unable to formulate a solid plan for the upcoming war due to the lack of time. But he figured that the best he could do was to formulate something in the meantime.

"Well then, even if we don't know when this will happen we can still prepare for it. I'll see if I can call her grace up real quick so that we can schedule a discussion very soon. In the meantime you head on home and notify the others whenever possible."

"Right." The prince nodded and darted away before earning a swift reprimanding about running in the hallways. Now aware of the looming threat of Nohr's invasion, the prince knew that he'd need more training to be able to stop it dead in its tracks for when the battles came.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** **** ** _SHINE IN THE LIGHT_**

Back home the Hoshidan army would normally be going about its day as it usually did; training, meditation, or just enjoying a hobby or two. The royal vassals of the army as well as the royals themselves were up to other kinds of activities however. Often would one of the regular army's soldiers catch the elite members stalking about with various objects in their hold, frequently checking their surroundings. Even some of the royal Yamato family was acting suspicious; Sakura in particular seemed spooked every time someone asked her what she was up to (more than what was considered "normal Sakura"), and Takumi always deflected attention towards his actions with a cool demeanor. Kazahana, first vassal of Sakura, was on her way from the store with a fairly decent sized crate in her hands; she would have drawn no attention to herself had Kamui not literally run into her, failing to stop himself when he spotted her.

 _"Yeowch‼"_ the samurai yelped landing flat on her rear. "Alright wise guy, what's the big idea ramming into—" Her anger was cut short when she found Kamui rubbing his head in pain, ousting himself as the one who crashed into her. "Omigosh, Lord Kamui! Are you alright?!"

"Ugh, I think so…" the prince muttered as he struggled to sit up. "Sorry about that. I hope I didn't hurt you any."

"Eh, this is nothing. I've been through bigger scrapes. But _jeez_ Lord Kamui, I thought you were some random thug bum-rushing me! What's the hurry for?"

"It's really important. I'm trying to hurry back home and tell everyone about it."

"It's _that_ serious? Yeesh; well then, why not just wait and tell me after we get back home? I'm actually kind of in the middle of…" The samurai was just remembering what she was originally doing, letting out a nervous "um…" when she looked at Kamui again. Her eyes widened in short order as she scanned the streets for the crate she was carrying. "Oh shoot, where is it‽"

"Where's…what exactly?"

"Oh come on, it shouldn't have gone that fa—…Aw crapbaskets…" The crate was right behind her, spilling out some of its contents. Kamui seemed to notice it too which made Kazahana scramble to put everything back inside. Feeling bad for causing the girl's spill Kamui offered to help her.

"Um, would you like me to—"

" _No‼_ " Kazahana shouted. It came out much louder than she intended and she gave a meek apology before putting everything back in place. "I-It's a surprise! I can't have anyone see it!"

"Oh, m-my bad."

"It's…It's alright. You couldn't have known. Let's just hurry on home okay?"

"Okay." The Hoshidan pair straightened themselves out and strolled toward the royal castle, and they would have stayed in silence had Kazahana not tried to break the silence.

"By the way, aren't you out of class a bit early?" the samurai asked the prince.

"Huh? Oh yeah…well, Mister Yukimura let me go for the rest of the day."

"Really? His class shouldn't even be halfway over yet…Lord Kamui, did you fall asleep in class _again?_ "

"Er, I uh…heh heh, I guess I did somehow…" His peer gave a short sigh of subdued annoyance while managing to smile a little.

"You gotta stop doing that Lord Kamui. You'll fail his class for sure if you keep dozing off during his lectures."

"I know, but I really try to stay awake. I _love_ taking his class."

"You _do?_ Huh. I don't know many others who feel the same. I took him once back in high-school but it didn't work out too well for me. Almost ended up smashing his face in too."

"That's…wow…"

"Eh, I'm over that now. But seriously, did he kick you out of class again, or did he actually excuse you for a good reason?"

"He actually excused me. I finally told him why I've been falling asleep so much. He told me to go see Lady Orochi."

"Her? What for?"

"I'll explain it when we get back home; it's related to what I have to say, and everyone needs to hear it."

"Alright then."

"So…how's it going with your classes Kazahana?"

"Pretty swell if you ask me. Today we covered…" The pair continued to talk about their classroom studies the entire trip back to the royal castle of Hoshido. Meanwhile, Prince Ryouma sat in darkness and silence in the army's training dojo, meditating for another day's continued peace and order. His sister Hinoka joined him in the event as Takumi and Sakura were still out and about, listening to her elder sibling's words.

"Can you feel it Hinoka?" the sword saint asked.

"Yes Ryouma," the tenma warrior answered.

"Even if things appear to be peaceful or disorderly, all one would have to do is clear their mind and focus their spiritual energies on the atmosphere itself. With this one can clear the illusion of peace or chaos by tapping into this power. Tell me, what do you feel?"

"I feel…a calm…moreso than any other day.

"I feel the same thing. Excellent job Hinoka; at this rate you'll be able to feel the vast stretch of the universe in no time just like our father did in his time."

"Hm?" As Hinoka meditated she could feel a foreign essence enter the atmosphere. It felt quite bright, almost as if it was directly on her skin. Breaking away from meditation for a moment she found that it was simply sunlight coming into the dojo, and in the doorway stood a lone figure whom Hinoka recognized immediately.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_** **** ** _HOMESICK (LIGHT)_**

"Commander Kirigakure, what brings you here?" Hearing that his right hand man was present Ryouma broke away from meditation for a moment to heed his commander's words.

"I bring you urgent news Master Ryouma and Lady Hinoka," Saizou spoke as he bowed. "It concerns the current status of my brother's and Rinka's mission."

"How do they fare as it stands?" Ryouma asked.

"As it currently stands, they have succeeded in penetrating through Nohr's magical ward."

"They…they have?" For the past few years no one alive had ever managed to get through to Nohr because of the dome shaped barrier of magic that kept all non-citizens of Nohr out of it. Despite those odds, the fact that Suzukaze and Rinka managed to do the impossible proved that another manner of entry was possible. "How did they accomplish this?"

"That much is unclear, but the spies have reported that at the least my brother used his gale-dart and Rinka's ogre-kanabou with some form of spellcasting. But that's not all that I have to report to you. While the two have managed to infiltrate Nohr, word from my spies says that the two of them did not make it very far afterwards, resulting in their capture." Ryouma's tranquility acquired through meditation had suddenly vanished. Hinoka lost whatever peace she attained as well, especially with the tense tone Saizou spoke with regarding his brother's capture.

"When did this happen?" Hinoka asked.

"Just yesterday. As they were the only ones able to make it past the barrier, you can guess what the issue is now." No further words were spoken between the three, but just as they were about to resume their conversation a familiar voice out throughout the outdoor landscape.

"Guys, I'm home," the third prince shouted, "and Kazahana's with me too!"

"That's Kamui…" Hinoka's first instinct was to go and ask her brother how his day was at school before remembering that he doesn't leave that early. In fact, he was much earlier than when everyone had expected him to show up. She barely registered Saizou shutting the dojo door closed, leaving in the process. Even with the restored privacy, neither of the eldest royal siblings were in the mood to meditate; the news of their comrades' captures and Kamui sudden appearance left them with little else to do. Saizou himself simply stood outside of the dojo, waiting for the prince and the samurai to round the corner where he was. Sure enough they arrived, and though Kazahana held the crate of surprises in her hand she was too comfortable being near Kamui for Saizou's liking. With little warning the scarred ninja approached the duo.

"Kazahana, your presence is requested in the castle," the man spoke to the samurai, cutting into her and Kamui's conversation.

"My _what_ is required _where_ now?" The ninja only shot an aside glance towards the castle off in the distance, repeating his message. It didn't take long for the samurai to understand him. "Oh…Alright then. I'll see you later then Lord Kamui." The girl darted off to the castle as per her instruction, leaving Kamui and Saizou alone with each other. The ninja led Kamui away to a solitary patch of nature to speak with him in private, hoping to rid the prince of any distractions.

"Prince Kamui, do you know what today is?" the ninja asked.

"Um, it's May the Twentieth?" the prince answered.

"Correct, but what significant events occur on this day?" The man could tell Kamui struggled to answer him, which evidently meant that Kamui forgot what the answer was. "I'll give you a small hint, it concerns you personally Prince Kamui, or rather it concerns someone related to you." This really put the young man into a stump, he couldn't think of one day that was particularly important and dealt with him at the same time, and seeing this Saizou gave the prince one last hint in mild exasperation. "Answer this question: what is one of the most important days that personally deals with people? I do not mean anyone specific, just something that applies to everyone."

"Well, the only thing I can think of right now is someone's birthday." Saizou silently began counting the seconds it would take for the prince to figure it out, watching as the cogs in Kamui's head slowly spun into action. In seven seconds he knew what the answer to Saizou's original question was. "Today's someone's birthday, isn't it?"

"It is. Today is the birthdate of your long lost sister named 'Corrin' I believe." The name immediately sparked a memory of the dreams inside of Kamui's head, that being one of the clashes between him and his twin sister of Nohrian allegiance. Just mentioning of her name brought him serious goosebumps of Corrin, the chilling and effective warrior-woman who swore white-hot wrath upon the Hoshidan populace, brimming with dark intent and glowering with unadulterated malice. He never told anyone of it, but her appearance in his vision dream was enough to give him constant dread of facing her for real. Saizou noticed Kamui's spaced-out glance and brought him back to earth. "This date is not too far off from your own birthdate, which is June Twenty-Fifth. That day is which you will progress from boyhood to manhood. Starting today you are to be within the company of those who will provide you a mature experience."

"And…I'm assuming that that includes you Sir Saizou?"

"Precisely. As one of the eldest male figures in your life it is my personal sworn-oath to oversee your transfer from boy-to-man properly. I will discuss what is expected of an up-and-becoming adult in due time."

"Eh? O-Okay then."

"Final question: why are you out of your class so early?" Saizou's tone took on a more stern and interrogative tint, making him intensely nervous.

"Ah, well, see, it's a long story."

"I will not settle for drawn-out or sugarcoated stories. Only give me the important details." While Saizou was not a man for theatrics, as long as Kamui's story was long enough to buy the others more time to put away their early bought surprise gifts he was all for lengthy tales.

 ** _Theme_** ** _:_**

The talk with Saizou did not last as long as Kamui thought it would; of course that didn't make it any less pleasant to listen to once he mentioned the falling-asleep-in-class portion. The man disappeared without a word once it was over. Now that he was unimpeded he could head over to the dojo for his training, and as he passed through the castle exterior he began noticing a lack of activity going on.

"Hey, where _is_ everyone?" he asked himself. Out of everyone he knew, Hinoka and his mother would have been the first people to greet him when he got home, but not even they seemed to be anywhere nearby. "That's strange. Ah well. Maybe Kazahana's still inside the castle helping out with whatever." The prince took his time strolling over to the dojo where he knew his brother to be, deciding to get a quick training exercise in before he gathered everyone together for the news. Opening the dojo's doors Kamui found the entire place dark with only Ryouma and Hinoka sitting inside.

"Welcome back home Kamui," Hinoka greeted. "How did your day go?"

"Well, um…" Kamui tried to think of what to say to his elder siblings until Hinoka spoke up again.

"Don't answer that; I already know." The younger prince could hear the very slight trace of anger in Hinoka's voice as the princess rose to her feet. "Commander Kirigakure had already informed us of how your day went, and before you say anything else allow me to speak first. I'll start by saying that I've clearly failed to make sure you were getting enough sleep at night; must I share your room to ensure this doesn't happen again Kamui?"

"N-No, that won't be necessary!" Kamui was frantically dissuading his sister from bunking in his room for one reason: his personal space and privacy would constantly be compromised with Hinoka policing his every move. "I…I can be responsible."

"I know that you _can_ ; I'm simply making sure that you will be."

"I think he's doing well enough on his own Hinoka," Ryouma's voice came. "After all, he _is_ an honor student in all of his classes, frequently helps the communities of Hoshido out, and he's a warrior almost on par with us. You can't say that he isn't being diligent or earnest in his endeavors." Hinoka couldn't agree more with her elder brother though a part of her still wanted Kamui to be a _t_ _eeny_ more responsible. Regardless she relented and simply decided to change the subject.

"Aside of you falling asleep in school, Commander Kirigakure relayed to us some rather…distressing news…"

"We'll inform the others about it very soon," Ryouma said. "For now, you're just in time for your daily training exercise Kamui."

"Well then, would you mind if I stay this time and observe the spar brother?" Hinoka asked. Rarely had she actually attended Kamui's sparring sessions with Ryouma out of not wanting to interfere or become a distraction, and with Ryouma claiming that the young prince was almost on par with them her curiosity was piqued. "As the first princess of Hoshido and elder sister to Kamui it is my responsibility to oversee his progress as a warrior…despite admittedly having failed to attend a single sparring match between you and Ryouma as of late."

"You're more than welcome to stay and watch if you want Hinoka," her older brother answered. "Actually, as a matter of fact, there was another reason I invited you to participate in meditating with me today. I want to know if you feel up to assisting me train Kamui." Both Hinoka and Kamui took on a surprised look though for different reasons: Hinoka was more or less surprised to have been invited to do so in the first place, whereas Kamui wasn't exactly prepared for a two-on-one battle. The second prince silently prayed that Hinoka would turn down Ryouma's offer. After a minute of debilitating, the princess settled on her answer.

"Very well then," she said, "I accept your offer."

 _'_ No‼ _'_ Kamui screamed inside his head. _'_ Anything _but Ryouma and Hinoka ganging up on me!'_

"Allow me to fetch Shiida so that we can get started."

"Wait, you'll be fighting atop Shiida?" Ryouma asked.

"Of course; that's how I battle when me and Kamui spar. It would give him more of a challenge rather than if I had simply fought on foot."

"Ah, I see. Well then, I suppose we'll have to take this outside. We'll meet you in the training grounds. Oh, and notify the others that we'll be having an open audience spar today."

 _'_ What‽ _'_ Kamui thought. The Hoshidan prince stood in disbelief as his elder sister exited the dojo, shooting a glare at his elder brother once Hinoka was out of sight.

"What's the matter?" the first prince asked.

"You never told me that you and Hinoka were going to fight me at the same time!" Kamui whined. "And why does everyone else have to watch?"

"Hinoka agreed to partake in sparring with us," Ryouma explained. "If she didn't then I wouldn't force her to. And don't worry about being watched Kamui, I'm certain that you'll do just fine. Now come, we should be heading for the training grounds for the time being."

"Yes brother…" Despite Ryouma attempting to ease his brother's mind, the younger prince was none too thrilled with the prospect of dueling two of the most proficient soldiers in the entire Hoshidan army especially because it was his own siblings; it didn't help that there would be an audience watching the entire duel scrutinizing his every move. At least he'd have everyone present when he decided to break the news to them, and he prayed to the Divine Dragon that Ryouma and Hinoka wouldn't thrash him too badly; he'd need to be fully conscious to deliver the grim message.


	4. Chapter 2a: Ganglari, the Demon Blade

Leaving from the Northern Tower to Castle Krakenburg came up to eleven minutes total for the royal siblings and vassals. That left the group more than enough spare time to tend to other matters before they went to see Garon, but Corrin was insistent on going to see the king first rather than using up the spare time for anything else. Everyone else knew that the second princess wouldn't raise much of a fuss if they took some time aside anyways, but they admired her sense of duty before pleasure so they took her straight to the audience chamber where their father was waiting for them. Before the group entered the room, everyone gave Corrin some words in edgewise concerning how to respond to Garon once he spoke.

"Remember this Corrin: Father will not tolerate any one speaking out of turn, least of all his own children," Xander said. "Wait until spoken to before you speak."

"Do try to remain as emotionally composed as you can," Camilla added. "Father will not take excessive displays of emotion very kindly."

"May I add that he also doesn't like nervousness or lack of confidence either," Leon said, "but there is a certain level of confidence that he'll tolerate." Corrin internally winced at all of the rules her other siblings laid out for her before she spoke to her father. She always knew her father to be a very strict man but it was a little jarring to hear just how much stricter he was.

"Are you excited Corrin?" Elise asked. "This must be your first time seeing Father in such a long time isn't it?"

"To tell you all the truth, I am a little nervous at meeting Father in person once again after so long," Corrin answered.

"Don't be," Gunther told her. "If you just be yourself then I'm certain that your father will have no problems with you. He'll eventually appreciate your devotion to working hard and servicing Nohr to the best of your ability."

"Oh…Well, thank you Sir Gunther," Corrin said with an improved attitude. Each of her siblings and vassals gave her a small non-verbal encouragement before Xander knocked on the doors that separated the group from their king. The response he received was as swift as he had expected with Garon's booming voice reaching them from behind the closed doors.

"State your name and business," the king commanded. Xander wondered why he had to state his name since he always knocked in the peculiar manner he did and Garon always recognized him by the knocking alone in an instant. Regardless, he did what he was told.

"It is us Father," Xander answered. "Xander, Camilla, Leon, and Elise. We have brought Corrin to you as per your instruction. Do we have permission to enter?"

"Permission granted." In seconds the huge doors were dragged open by two generals, revealing an equally huge room virtually devoid of life; only the aforementioned generals and King Garon himself were present. The group was met with bows of reverence from the generals as they walked up to their king, offering him a bow themselves.

 ** _Theme: GARON, KING OF NOHR_**

"Greetings father," Xander spoke while kneeling.

"Greetings my first born," Garon responded. "I see that you all have arrived earlier than I had expected of you."

"We place diligence toward our duties before all else father," Xander replied.

"That I know." The old king's eyes scanned those before him until they came upon his second daughter. "Corrin," he called.

"Yes father?" the princess responded.

"You are here solely due to your sustained improvement and successes in combat drills. Your mere presence here is proof that you have been crafted into a knight that Nohr will have great use of."

"Thank you father." Corrin could feel a sizeable amount of pride swelling up in her upon hearing her father's words, though she contained it in his presence. "Long have I sought to reach this pinnacle, and so I constantly pushed myself beyond my limits so that I would realize this moment one day."

"Interesting. Tell me my child: why have you pushed so hard to attain such a goal? What drove you to become a recognized knight of our kingdom?" Corrin briefly thought over Garon's inquiry but she ultimately knew the answer; it was something that had become one of her heart's most powerful desires.

"I did so because…I wanted to do all of those around me proud as a knight, especially you father. I also desired to improve the growth of the Kingdom of Nohr's economy and society, not merely as an agent of justice but also as someone who would build up what was torn down."

"I see…" Garon stared long and hard into his daughter's eyes with his own, eventually finding her words pure after a sustained silence. "If that is the case, then your hard work shall be duly rewarded. As for the rest of you, I would command you to leave the room for a brief spell as I anoint our newest knight."

"Of course father," Xander replied. Giving everyone else a short glance he made his way to the exit, flashing Corrin a very brief smile as he and the others left. As Corrin stood alone somewhat confused, Garon cast a look to the generals still inside who looked expectantly at their king.

"When I said 'as for the rest of you', I. Meant. _Everyone._ " This time Garon got through to the two knights, earning hasty attempts to give the king and his daughter the privacy he wanted. Once he was all alone with Corrin he spoke to her once again.

"This ritual is sacred my child," he began, "requiring utmost solitude for it to be performed with perfection. On your knees and you shall receive your due." The princess obeyed the command and the king grabbed his large axe Bölverk, slamming its handle's tip into the ground. A bolt of burning magic energy flared from the weapon to around Corrin, forming the ensign of the Kingdom of Nohr. Garon then began reciting the speech of up-and-becoming Holy Knights of Nohr.

"Today marks the day that you are no longer a fledgling soldier of Nohr," Garon said. "From this moment henceforth, I—King Garon Plantagenet of the Kingdom of Nohr—hereby ordain you as the fourth 'Holy Knight'." Bölverk's blade lightly graced the shoulders of Corrin before the sacred weapon was held high into the air.

 _"O' hallowed father who resides within the_ _earth_ _, heed your successor's call: pass down your divine blood unto your newest daughter, and with it, the means for her to fulfill her sworn destiny."_ Just like when Xander used his Dragon Vein to alter the battlefield he and Corrin shared their last sparring session together, the area surrounding Garon and Corrin began to feel different; the surrounding air became denser and the entire room had darkened. A shadowy silhouette of a great dragon then formed around Garon while hissing in a soothing yet commanding voice.

 _'Is this…dark magic?'_ Corrin wondered. Upon seeing the dragon surrounding her father as one had done Xander and Camilla, she began to believe otherwise. _'Wait a minute, that dragon…'_ The dragon silhouette in question couldn't be made out clearly but two notable features it possessed were massive wings comparable to hands and a large red orb moving about in its head. _'I've seen that dragon before; it's…_ **Anankos, the Dusk Dragon** _…Father's words were similar to Xander's and Camilla's, yet the dragon is Anankos instead of the wind or fire dragons previously summoned…Could it be that this is a variation of or a precursor to Dragon Vein?'_

 _"I command this Nohrian Wing to shade my daughter with its sacred darkness!"_ Garon bellowed. _"Mold her into the Avatar of Nohr she is meant to be‼"_

 ** _Theme: ENDLESS NIGHTMARE_**

With the words recited the silhouette of Anankos let loose a resounding roar, melting into the shape of a wing and coating Bölverk's head. As Garon swung the axe downwards he stopped short of Corrin, barely touching the tip of her head. The magical ensign of Nohr shone brighter and the wing made of dark magic shot itself into Corrin, instantly causing a burning and chilling sensation coursing throughout her body. With the ritual now completed, the old king simply stood back and looked on as his daughter shrieked and writhed in pain.

 ** _"Arrggghhhh‼ Father, what…what's happening to me‽"_** Corrin cried out amidst her flailing.

"Something…great…" Garon cryptically told her. Outside of the audience chamber, Xander and a few others were desperately pushing up against the doors hoping to get them to budge in case something went wrong with Garon's ritual.

"Hang on Corrin, we're coming!" Xander shouted. As hard as he tried with Gunther's, Felicia's, and Jakob's assistance, the doors would not move an inch.

"Step aside," Camilla ordered. Her brother and Corrin's vassals moved as she instructed, watching as the eldest princess took her axe and readied it against the door. Leon was quick to intercept his powerhouse sister however.

"Cammy, _don't_ _,_ " Leon warned. "Pandemonium will break loose if you smash the room's doors down."

"Everyone needs to help push these doors open!" Xander said. "Come! Corrin's life could depend on it!" The eldest prince resumed pressing against the doors and the rest of the group joined in his efforts to open them, guards included.

Back on the inside Corrin continued to toss and turn as her body changed. She could feel her muscles and skin gorging or shrinking as her limbs contorted and stretched in different ways. Her arms were bending toward her chest and her legs felt like they were growing another joint in them. Toward the base of her spine something threatened to protrude through her, and it felt the same with her shoulder plates as if she was growing new limbs on her back. Her neck thickened and stretched, her jaw morphed into a loose appendage with a gap separating it from the rest of her head, and antlers jutted out from the top of her head. All the while Garon watched on with a smile that not even a mother could love.

"Yes…It is happening…" the old king said with unheard of excitement. "Your ascension to a higher state of being is nigh…" Corrin could scarcely hear her father through her own screaming. Over time more of her features had changed almost drastically; her head no longer resembled that of a human's, a serpentine tail had emerged, a pair of leathery wings had sprouted, and what was once clothes and armor had become the princess's flesh and bone. By now the doors were finally forced open by Xander and the rest, but they froze dead in their tracks when they spotted the beast where they last saw their sister.

"What in the…‽" Xander and the other Nohrians dared a step backward as the eldritch creature stood on its hind legs, letting loose a feral howl. It immediately turned its view toward the new visitors, looking ready to pounce them at any moment. Elise and Felicia were shaking in their boots while everyone else had readied their weapons in the event of an attack. Xander however took a step toward it with no weapon in hand, having seen the beast better.

"…Sister?" he called out. Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Brother, what're you doing‽" Leon shouted at him. "That thing could kill you!"

"Corrin…Is that you?" the prince asked again, ignoring Leon's warning. The draconic beast seemed to be focused on Xander, "staring" in his direction. "If it's you, you have nothing to fear. It's me, your brother." The dragon gave him a strained growl and began retreating itself, only for his father to decide that he had better step in before things got out of hand.

 ** _"_** ** _Corrin‼_** ** _"_** the king called out. The dragon completely retracted its claw and turned its view to the voice's owner who was strolling over to it. Its mind was still overall hazy but clarity slowly returned to it as the king got closer.

 ** _Theme: GARON, KING OF NOHR_**

"This…This is a moment to behold…I knew that at least one of my children had possessed this…divine ability, but I never in all of my life expected it to be you Corrin."

"Your majesty, care to explain this?" Gunther questioned. The king gave him a slight glare but his own face remained stony, casting a look at the dragon and waiting for an answer. "Well?"

"This is your mistress, Corrin," he answered. "I do understand that it may be somewhat difficult for you to recognize her in this state."

"And _'this'_ is?" The elderly great knight continued to prod his king for an explanation.

" _'This'_ is her dragon form."

 _"I…I am a dragon…?"_ Corrin's distorted voice came, causing everyone to stare at the transformed princess. Her mind was in a fuzz but she had regained enough of her mind to hear her father out and process thoughts in her dizziness.

"Yes. It is said that those of sufficient holy blood are able to assume a form in the likeness of their earliest draconic ancestors. I possess this ability myself and I had assumed that all of my children possessed it as well, but the eldest two and Leon proved me wrong. I always knew that you were something else in comparison to my other children, Corrin; I suppose that your mother was more than what met the eye."

 _"My…mother?"_ Before anything else was said the king walked to a set of stairs and held Bölverk high, and dark magic energy blazed wildly from the weapon. "You have proven to be able to transform, but you need a proper conduit to utilize your powers efficiently." Garon took aim at the princess and fired the magic at her, covering her in a thick cocoon; slowly, it began to shrink until it was the size of Corrin's human form before it retracted from her body in the form of an inky substance. The princess was back in her human form, and the dark magic energy that once covered her continued to shrink until it was about the size of her hand.

"What is this?" Corrin asked as she stepped closer to the blob of magic.

"This will be one of your greatest tools," Garon answered. "It is a dragonstone, a conduit that will allow you to assume your dragon form without issue and whenever you please." The black ooze melted away to reveal a teardrop-shaped blue gemstone underneath with a dragon's head emblazoned inside of it. "Your human and dragon halves are two different sides of you in terms of physical condition, and while your dragon form will prove to be exceedingly powerful and useful in many a situation, it cannot solve every issue that comes your way. And without the stone, you will face many difficulties while transformed, so learn when to use it properly and keep it with you at all times." The blue stone floated toward its new owner with a bright shine as if asking her to hold it. She grasped the stone and felt a faint pulsing in it, similar to her own heartbeat.

"It's so pretty…" Elise commented. "I wish I had one."

"If you want one then you must continue your training with your siblings until you are deemed worthy of the title 'Holy Knight of Nohr', and then you must undergo the same ritual your elder siblings have gone through. And I must remind you Elise; the dragonstone is no toy."

"I know, I know."

"Thank you father," Corrin spoke. "I promise you that I will do you and all of Nohr a great service with my newfound abilities."

"I know that you will. But do not think that I am finished with you yet. You have one final gift until I shall release you."

 _'One more?'_ Corrin thought. _'Goodness. If I didn't know any better, I would say that father is spoiling me. My own place to stay within the castle, my new title, my dragon power being unveiled to me, and one more gift? I wonder what it will be…'_

"As a new 'Holy Knight of Nohr', you will need a holy weapon, and I happen to have such a creation." Garon took Bölverk and channeled magic energy into it, focusing it toward the handle. Slamming the weapon down created a small rift of dark magic to appear in the ground, and from the rift slowly emerged a curved obsidian blade. The entire sword soon emerged and hovered before Corrin, a weapon with the blade constantly surrounded by a thick miasma of darkness and containing a staring eyeball in its rain guard.

"This is **_'Ganglari, the Demon Blade'_** ," Garon said. "It is a regalia weapon that hails from the hidden Astral Plane, and only those who can contain their own darkness can tame the dark aura this sword wields. With the ability and strength that you possess, you will be able to take down several enemies in a single swath with ease. Grasp it and familiarize yourself with its power." The princess was slightly hesitant in grabbing the sword, getting an ominous vibe from the way the sword intently gazed at her. Casting her doubt aside she took the weapon by its handle, feeling its power coursing through her.

"This is…"

"You see Corrin: you have tamed your own darkness, and as such Ganglari is resonating with your soul. A perfect match."

"Father…thank you…"

"With the gift-giving on my end having officially come to an end, it is time to put you to the test." Corrin snapped to attention as fast as always, ready to carry out her first orders. "Bring forth the prisoners‼"

The king's voice could be heard across the entire room, and from the other side of the room were a group of Nohrian soldiers pushing along six individuals. The prisoners themselves looked vaguely familiar to Corrin, dressed in clothes that seemed notably foreign to Nohr.

"These prisoners are Hoshidan intruders," Garon spoke. Not too long after mentioning their nationality, the king could sense a sudden spike of emotion coming from his middle child.

"Did you say…'Hoshidans'?" Corrin asked gaining an edge to her voice.

"Yes. They have been caught intruding our kingdom's streets yesterday, and while we considered executing them for their slight we decided to reserve them for our new 'Holy Knight of Nohr'. Your test is simple: defeat them with your newfound abilities. Their fates are up to you, though I would prefer if you kill them. Gunther, Jakob, you will be assisting your mistress in this battle, but do not become a hindrance to her."

"Understood your majesty," Jakob replied with a bow, taking out an iron dagger for the ensuing fight. Gunther simply nodded and took out a steel spear. Corrin—while clutching Ganglari tighter than before—felt rage beginning to bubble up inside of her. Garon took a step toward her and gave her some pre-battle advice.

"Contain your anger Corrin," he spoke. "The Hoshidans may have dealt a cruel hand to our people but you must not lose yourself in emotion or you are sure to fall in battle. Take them on with a clear mind and only after they have been subdued should you allow your feelings to take free reign."

"…Understood." Corrin took a proper battle stance having pushed her emotions down for the moment.

"Milady, we are no different from your weapons," Gunther said. "Do not hesitate to use us as you see fit."

"I'll remember that."

"Jakob, are you prepared for this?"

"Do you even see my weapon drawn forth old man?" Jakob replied in irritation. "So long as I breathe, Mistress Corrin shall not have even a single hair shaved from her head. Although, given from the looks of our opponents, she may not even have to exert herself much. She'll be done with them in time to enjoy a filing cup of black tea before long." Meanwhile the six Hoshidans were talking amongst themselves, figuring how they were going to get of the mess they were currently in.

"So, any more genius plans Kirigakure?" a female oni savage questioned with an irked tone.

"I'm afraid that I have none left," the male ninja in question replied. "The only thing we can do to survive this is to fight back."

"That's the best plan I've heard all day. We'll squash these Nohrians like the pathetic insects they are." The woman cracked a few of her bones and readied her oni-kanabou while the ninja prepared his gale-needle. The other four Hoshidans took a battle stance and waited for their leaders to give them commands. "Remember this well you lot; we're here for 'Corrin', assuming that she's still among the living. If you see a woman who strongly resembles Kamui—the second prince of Hoshido—that's her. Take her alive, but crush everything else that stands in your way." The sword samurai and oni savage pair she commanded gave her an affirmative nod and stared ahead to see their enemies. The woman turned to her partner with his own sword samurai pair to give him some last choice words. "I hope that you're as good a fighter as Commander Kirigakure like they say you are, captain."

"Trust me Rinka, in my own way I am every bit as capable as my brother." Corrin could see the pair talking but couldn't exactly make out what they were saying. Either way she didn't care and held her new weapon as she assumed her battle stance.

"I hope you know what Hell awaits you, Hoshidans…"

 ** _Theme:_** ** _T_** ** _EKKEN_** ** _4_** ** _—_** ** _F_** ** _EAR_**

Corrin and her two male vassals went on the offense to catch their opponents before their opponents caught them. Moving forward in the room for some distance, the group came upon what looked like a simple room covered in countless debris; underneath the debris was a bright cyan glow.

 _'This room,_ ' Corrin thought, _'it could serve as a useful vantage point against our enemies…But first, this debris must go._ ' The Nohrian princess stopped in her tracks, pondering which Dragon Vein element she should use.

"Mistress Corrin?" Jakob asked. "Is there something the matter?"

"I think she may be attempting to use her Dragon Vein," Gunther guessed.

 _"O' hallowed father who resides within the_ _earth_ _, heed your daughter's wish…"_ Corrin recited. _"Grant me the strength to create a haven and vantage point to use against our enemies…"_ The princess cleared her mind and attempted to draw out her dragon powers as Xander and Camilla had done before; she tried to recreate the feeling of drawing out her natural energy as she normally did with a levin edge but with another energy source. Then she felt it, a feral and draconic sensation deep inside of her that felt like it would rip itself free. _'There you are…'_ Focusing her mind she extracted her energy from within and it took on the form of an air dragon wrapped around her frame.

"Incredible," Gunther marveled. "This is her first use of Dragon Vein and she already seems to have a solid grip on it."

"What did you honestly expect from our Mistress, Gunther?" Jakob said. Corrin held her arms in front of her as she focused her newfound energy in her palms.

 _"I command this breath of wind to clear away the debris preventing us a stronghold in this battle‼"_ Thrusting her hands forward in an open-palm position, Corrin unleashed a powerful air current at the debris, scattering it in multiple directions and revealing a recovery chamber from underneath it all. _'Perfect,'_ Corrin thought. _'We can simply hide out in here and wait for our enemies to walk over here and ambush them. They may have a number advantage but we have something they don't…'_ Corrin signaled for Gunther and Jakob to follow her inside as the others looked on with various thoughts going on in their heads.

 _'Corrin is showing a surprising amount of skill utilizing her Dragon Vein,'_ Xander thought as he watched the trio from a distance. _'Has she been practicing or preparing for when the day came for her or…'_ The paladin prince watched the Hoshidan soldiers steadily closing in on the princess's and her vassal's locations, looking on as Corrin instructed Gunther and Jakob to guard the other two chamber exits. The Hoshidans took their time making their way over to the chamber, coming to a stop when they reached the room Corrin and the Nohrians hid in.

"Halt," Rinka commanded. "I see something up ahead." The oni savage woman could make out a fragment of a tassel peering out from behind the wall. "Tread cautiously; the enemy lurks behind this structure." Suzukaze didn't need to be told twice, already having the feeling that they were walking into a trap. He silently gave Rinka some commands on how to approach the enemy, but all he got in return were confused and annoyed stares. Forgetting that she wasn't familiar with his commands he gave her simpler, more obvious gestures and she understood them perfectly; the two Hoshidans quietly crept toward the structure hoping to ambush the Nohrians from both sides, but much to their misfortune Corrin could already hear them approaching.

 _'Sneaking up on an enemy hm?'_ Corrin thought. _'At least they're not combat incompetent, but too bad for them that they don't know who they're dealing with.'_ She waited for the group of six to get closer, and right as the Hoshidans were ready to strike Corrin gave her vassals their command. In a flash Jakob leapt out from within the recovery chamber, flinging his iron dagger dead into the sword arm of one of the sword samurai Suzukaze commanded. The act caught the other Hoshidans by surprise, and that was when Gunther's armored steed emerged and broke toward Rinka's group in a sprint, barely grazing the woman's sword samurai with the horn on his helmet.

"Damnation‼" Rinka shouted. "We've been had! On offense you lot!" She and her subordinates steeled themselves as did Suzukaze's pair. An oni savage man swung his kanabou at Gunther but only managed to hit the armor of his horse, though the sword samurai fared better at landing a hit on the old great knight. The old horse shook about to shake the Hoshidans off of him and his rider but was stopped by the knight before he charged off again.

"Steady now, ol' Jagen," Gunther said to his steed. "Patience is key here. Watch for an opening then strike true." Jagen snorted in accordance, waiting for the next attack to come. Instead of the Hoshidans attacking one at a time they attempted to overwhelm the veteran pair at once, and Jagen saw his chance then; he didn't dodge the attack but he let his armor absorb the blow, following up with a charge at the samurai and impaling him with the horn on his helmet. Not dead yet, the sword samurai attempted to stab the horse only for the owner to get the jump on him first. Content with incapacitating him, Gunther released the hold his lance had on the samurai.

"One down," Gunther noted, "and two more to go." Though Gunther didn't fatally wound the samurai he left him on the ground in a heap, incapable of fighting afterward. The Hoshidan had no intention of being left to the mercy of the other Nohrians however, taking his own life much to the shock of his comrades and Gunther. "My word…" The man knew of Hoshidan warrior customs but hadn't expected the man to do himself in as fast as he did. He simply shook his head in pity and focused his attention on the remaining two Hoshidans. Meanwhile, Jakob was almost dancing as he evaded every strike the sword samurai pair threw at him, all the while slowly whittling their endurance down with well-placed counters of his own.

 _'Hmph, these Hoshidans aren't much bite after all,'_ Jakob thought. _'I'd already figured that they wouldn't be much of fighters just from a glance. I—wait a minute.'_ Jakob stopped in his tracks when he noticed that someone was missing. _'Where's that ninja who was with these two?'_ He got his answer in the form of a shuriken burying itself in his back; he turned around to find the attacker but found nothing. Before he could return his attention to the samurai pair the shuriken's poison kicked in, sending a burning shock throughout his body and debilitating him some margin. "Rrrgh…curse that ninja…" Jakob pulled out the shuriken from his back and found the sword samurai pair already closing in. When he moved to dodge his legs weren't moving as fast as he thought they would, taking a slash from each samurai as a result. The attacks themselves hurt him a lot more than what he thought they would do.

"You have two options Nohrian," one of the samurai said, "release us and relinquish Princess Corrin unto us if she still lives, or refuse and die."

"You cretins shall not have her," Jakob rasped out still a little weary from the dual strike. "Mistress Corrin isn't going anywhere with the likes of you."

"On the contrary, she shall not spend another day within Nohrian confinement," a man's voice called out from behind the butler. When the man turned around he was met with empty space and was grabbed by his waist before he was slammed down hard. As fast as he could he swung his leg in a sweeping motion around him to catch his attacker, catching only air. Now the samurai pair was closing in on him with their katana in hand, both taking rapid swipes at the butler and missing him by a hair. On the inside of the recovery chamber Corrin listened in to the commotion going on around her, finding her vassals facing difficulty putting their opponents down and listening in to some of the commotion.

 _'Just who the Hell are these Hoshidans?'_ Corrin thought, _'and what is this "confinement" nonsense that man babbled on about?'_ The princess didn't dwell too much on her thoughts and decided that now was the best time to come out of hiding, drawing Ganglari forth and bolting out of the chamber right before Jakob took another dual strike.

"M-Mistress!" Jakob exclaimed.

"Sorry for the late arrival Jakob," Corrin apologized. "I'd say you've done enough fighting for one day. Let me take things over from here."

"Ah…As you wish." The princess stood before her butler while brandishing her demonic sword at the sword samurai pair, wearing a face of barely concealed hatred toward them.

"Princess Corrin!" one of the samurai exclaimed. "You're still alive after all these years…Looks like our searching wasn't in vain after all." Corrin only gave the pair a snort as she readied her first strike. "P-Princess Corrin? Easy, we're not here to harm you. We're only on the queen's orders to return you to Hoshido."

"And who is this 'queen' you say?" Corrin asked hoping to get some information out of her opponents.

"She is your birth-mother, Queen Yamato Mikoto of the Kingdom of Hoshido."

"I see…" _'I should have known that that witch would have sent more of her lackeys to come and kidnap me. I'm surprised that I haven't had many attempts on me thus far.'_ She turned to the samurai, feigning disappointment to disarm the man. "Well then, I must apologize for this."

"Apologize…for what exa—gack‼" With no warning Corrin lunged forward and pierced the samurai's cuirass with her sword. For extra torment she twisted the blade in him to make sure that she obliterated his heart.

"I apologize because I have no business with that woman. I've no Hoshidan queen as my mother." Pulling Ganglari out of the samurai Corrin then swung it at his neck, beheading the man in one strike. This caused the other samurai to jump away in fear for his life.

"Wha—what are you doing Princess? We're your allies here to take you back home!"

"The only allies I have are my Nohrian kin, and Nohr is my home. No Hoshidan is an ally of mine." The princess menaced another step toward the man yet he refused to move, his mind too wracked by the turn of events. Only when she swung her sword a person's length away from him did he attempt to dodge, but it was too little too late. Down to the ground he went with a gash in his bowels before his head was made into a shish kebab.

"That takes care of the grunts," Jakob stated. "If only their leader wasn't so elusive…" Corrin halted her attack to pinpoint the hidden ninja; Corrin focused her senses on her hearing, hoping to catch the ninja in the midst of an attack. An ear of hers flicked toward the back of Jakob, catching the sound of metal whizzing toward her butler. In a swift gesture she took the levin edge she didn't return to Xander and cast a lightning bolt toward the incoming shuriken, deflecting the weapon and preventing Jakob's assassination.

"Show yourself Hoshidan craven!" Corrin yelled. "I may perhaps spare your life, so take the opportunity when it's presented to you!"

"You ask for me to show myself, but you could tell where I struck from," the ninja's voice came. "Can you discern where I am now?" Corrin felt like she was being played with, nearly losing her temper with the ninja. Regardless, she played the ninja's game and focused her senses to track his location. Her ears failed to pick up the slightest sound aside of Jakob's breathing. Then she felt something else; it wasn't the same as smelling, seeing, or hearing something, but rather a particular sense as if she could feel a foreign presence nearby. It didn't feel menacing but it wasn't a feeling welcome to her.

"You're…over there," she said, turning to the recovery chamber; Jakob looked to the room with surprise, having seen no one enter the place. Expecting an ambush, Corrin listened for any sounds to suggest such and readied Ganglari for the possible attack. None came; only light footsteps were heard as the Hoshidan assailant walked out from behind the recovery chamber's walls, revealing his form.

"Impressive Princess Corrin," the man spoke. "As expected of one who is descended from the first dragons, your ability to detect others' presences is remarkable."

"Enough of the flattery, Hoshidan," Corrin spat out. "I've heard that you intend to kidnap me from my family."

"Not 'kidnap', 'rescue'." Suzukaze inwardly wondered what kind of mental conditioning Corrin went through to be convinced that the Nohrians were her family. Kamui and Ryouma—the only other witnesses present with the Chevalier incident, were both old enough to remember what happened that day, yet Corrin didn't seem to recall it despite being Kamui's twin. He remembered how scared she was and cried for her mother, yet here she was denying Queen Mikoto as such. _'What have these Nohrians done to her? Whatever the case is, I hope we can restore her memory of what really happened, but it doesn't appear that now is an appropriate time.'_

"If this is how you Hoshidans 'rescue' people, then you all need a thorough mental rehabilitation."

"If you are so resolute in what you believe, then come at me with your best your highness." Suzukaze held his gale shuriken tight in his hands, knowing that the battle would be his most difficult to date. "I do not have the power to restore your lost memories of that day, but I can at least bring you to the place perfect for such."

"I will not have you gooks fill my head with lies." Corrin noticed the ever slight scowl in Suzukaze's expression but didn't care, forming a fierce snarl on her own face.

 ** _Theme:_** ** _R_** ** _UKUNETSU_** ** _—(B_** ** _UMP_** ** _) F_** ** _EAR_** ** _K_** ** _AZUYA_** ** _~F_** ** _EAR_** ** _R_** ** _MIX_** ** _(2011)_**

Corrin was the first to attack, dashing ahead to skewer Suzukaze with Ganglari. The ninja jumped to evade her and flung two gale-needles her way, only to have them deflected by a sword swing. Pulling out the levin edge, Corrin fired a lightning bolt at Suzukaze, hoping to catch him as he landed. The ninja responded with diffusing the lightning with his bladed vambrace and tossing more gale-needles at the princess. Unsatisfied with the distance game Suzukaze was playing, Corrin dodged the shuriken and closed the distance between the two of them, bringing Ganglari up to slice at her enemy. Suzukaze was fast enough to clamp the sword in between his vambrace blades, locking Corrin into a hold.

"You will need more than brute force alone to overwhelm me your highness," Suzukaze stated.

"Good thing for me that I'm not all about brute force," Corrin retorted. She tripped up the ninja and yanked her blade out of his grip, immediately following up with a downward stab. She only hit the ground with Suzukaze rolling out of the way, attempting to fling more shuriken at the princess. Using Ganglari to swat the shuriken away Corrin cast another lightning bolt from the levin edge at the retreating Hoshidan, managing to score a hit on him.

"Curses…!" Suzukaze groaned from pain, staggering somewhat. "Not bad your highness…at least the Nohrians have trained you as a formidable warrior."

"If you think this is formidable, then you haven't seen anything yet," Corrin replied. "Jakob, cover me."

"Yes Mistress." The butler stood behind his liege prepared to block any attack headed her way, causing worry in Suzukaze.

 _'Darn, she's got her retainer with her. If only I still had my men here with me…I wonder how Rinka and her men are holding up…'_ Said oni savage was still in the midst of her fight with Gunther, aided by her remaining man.

"You had best surrender the battle and the princess if you don't want your already frail bones to be ground into dust," Rinka threatened before she took a flaming swing at Gunther. The war veteran didn't flinch at her words, silently guarding against the oni duo's blows with his shield. Jagen gave the onis a fierce snort and bucked forward, almost catching the male oni on his helm's horn. Seizing the opening his steed created, Gunther thrust his weapon in the unarmored man's heart, wanting to prevent the man from taking his life like his samurai comrade had done. With the fight now one-on-one, Gunther spoke to his remaining opponent.

"I had hoped you Hoshidans understood what you were getting yourselves into when you invaded Nohr," Gunther said reprimanding Rinka. "I cannot guarantee that you will make it out of this alive so long as our king observes our battle."

"And I figured that you Nohrians would have understood what you were getting yourselves into when your king murdered our king's first wife and queen," Rinka shot back at Gunther. "And you Nohrians couldn't stop at her death either, taking the king's life in a cowardly ambush and kidnapping his second daughter." The oni woman wildly swung her kanabou at the knight, only making contact with his shield. The flames surrounding her weapon did creep around the shield, lightly singing the man's arm behind it. Jagen angrily reared his body back and stomped down to throw Rinka off of his rider, charging at her and lashing out with his hind legs. Rinka barely dodged the old horse, leaping up at a recoiling Gunther's back and slamming down hard. The man's cries of pain reached his mistress's ears, but she dared not pull away from her fight with the ninja.

"Milady, allow me to handle this one," Jakob said. "It seems the old man needs you more than I do."

"I'm not leaving you here to fend off this coward by yourself," Corrin said while dodging a shuriken thrown at her. "You have shown that he's more than a match for you and I don't want to risk you getting killed here." Jakob didn't like how Corrin said it but it was true nonetheless. Without warning, Suzukaze charged at Corrin in speeds she didn't think was possible, landing two flying kicks squarely in her face and abdomen. Sending the princess staggering a little, Suzukaze took a quick swipe at the exhausted Jakob, nicking him across his chest in his distraction. Before Suzukaze even got the chance to back away, Corrin caught him with a vicious slash aimed at his neck, ducking to evade the attack but lowering himself to where Corrin easily kicked him aside.

"Sneaky little bastard aren't you?" Corrin growled out. She approached the downed ninja but earned a swift trip kick to the ground. With Corrin disoriented the ninja made a move on Jakob, tossing a shuriken at the man while keeping his eyes on the princess. Jakob had recovered enough of his agility to move out of the shuriken's way, ready to pay the Hoshidan back for the sneak attack earlier.

"I see what you're doing," Jakob said. "You're trying to get rid of me to make kidnapping Corrin easier."

"Not 'kidnap', _'rescue'_. And yes, that is the plan," Suzukaze answered honestly.

"Too bad you don't have your backup goons with you this time." Jakob tossed a dagger at Suzukaze while sprinting forward, banking on the ninja jumping out of the way. The Hoshidan saw through this and sidestepped the incoming weapon, running toward the butler. Jakob still jumped as he had planned, but he flung more daggers at his opponent as he soared over him. This forced Suzukaze to block the attacks head-on, but instead of meeting more projectiles his way he saw Jakob in another sprint toward him. He hadn't enough time to run from him so he stood his ground and prepared for the onslaught. What he didn't prepare himself for was for when Corrin got back into the fight, and when he made the realization he desperately tried blocking the two Nohrians coming at him. He failed, taking a stab from each one in his sides as they closed in.

"Could have thought this one out better, Hoshidan," Corrin taunted. The two Nohrians pulled their weapons out of the man and let him fall to the ground, but Corrin wanted to get one last hit on the ninja out of spite. "You Hoshidans have done so much wrong to us and you have the gall to come to us with lies of wrongdoing against your kingdom…" She looked at the weary face of Suzukaze who looked to her with a pleading expression.

"Your highness…I'm just…here to rescue from the Nohrians…" the man tried saying with blood pouring from his mouth. "These people have kidnapped you from—"

"I've heard enough of your prattle, ninja," Corrin bit out cutting him off, following with a final stab to his stomach. Allowing her emotions to run for a moment she twisted Ganglari inside of the ninja, letting him fall down in a pool of blood. Jakob would normally not bat an eye at such displays, but it made him wince if only to imagine how painful it must have been. "Jakob, tie him up and take him to the others. I have one more Hoshidan to take care of." The butler nodded and began dragging the unconscious ninja's body across the floor while Corrin made her way over to the currently losing Gunther.

"Steady now Jagen," Gunther panted out. "We can outlast this one"

"Can you now?" Rinka taunted. "Your bones look ready to finally give way."

"I can't afford to do so while my mistress has need of me." Gunther blocked another flaming swing from Rinka and tried to counter her, but his spear arm had grown too dull to land a strike on the younger fighter. The oni lunged at the knight and smashed at his shield, causing a dent in it and scorching its once pristine look. Before she could take another hit at him a lightning bolt from afar found itself dead in her back, forcing her off of the older man. In a rage she turned to the coward who snuck attack her, her eye laying upon the figure of the Nohrian princess she sought after.

" _You!_ "

"Looking for me, savage?" Corrin spoke. "Step away from my vassal and I may perhaps lessen your beatdown."

"So you're this missing princess I've been told to retrieve." The Hoshidan woman didn't relax herself seeing a demonic weapon in her target's hands, smiling inwardly at how powerful the princess appeared. She left the worn great knight alone and approached Corrin, finding Gunther in too battered a state to continue fighting for the day. "You look like you'll be a promising challenge. The queen ordered us to bring you back alive in one piece, but she never said anything about having to take you down ourselves if need be."

"Good. That'll give me an excuse to knock you gooks around."

"…She also didn't say anything about bringing you back to her with missing teeth…" Rinka held her oni-kanabou tight and it blazed with a rage matching her own. "I am Kagu-tsuchi Rinka, daughter of the honorable chieftain of the Flame Tribe, and I hereby challenge you to a no-holds barred battle! Prepare yourself princess!"

Rinka took the battle initiative, swinging her kanabou at Corrin who easily dodged the attack. The flames cloaking the weapon almost singed her, causing Corrin to take a more indirect approach with the woman. Corrin launched a lightning bolt Rinka's way, aiming toward the ground where Rinka was likely to step toward. The oni fell for the princess's trap, landing right on top of the electrified spot on the floor. Taking the opportunity, Corrin dashed toward Rinka ready to gouge the woman's bowels out, but Rinka recovered in time to take another blazing swing at the Nohrian. Corrin narrowly dodged the attack by jumping over Rinka, and before she landed on the ground she kicked the Hoshidan in the back of her head. She charged another lightning bolt from the levin edge but Rinka got up to soon for her to cast a powerful attack her way, opting to keep the charged magic within the weapon. Rinka's weapon clashed with Corrin's, sending fire scattering from the kanabou.

 _'If that's how she wants to play this little game…'_ Corrin thought. She charged up more energy in the levin edge as the Hoshidan kept taking powerful swings at her, not paying mind to how the weapon crackled and glowed with greater intensity. When the princess had enough time to get out of Rinka's attack range she sidestepped the next blow and kicked Rinka away. Having the space she needed, Corrin fired the lightning bolt at her opponent, hitting her in the chest to maximize the damage. Rinka was now convulsing from the powerful electricity coursing through her, leaving her wide open to an attack from Corrin's Ganglari. Corrin didn't want to kill her opponent yet, stabbing her in her abdomen and yanking it back out. Certain that her opponent was done for but wanting to humiliate her further, Corrin snatched her kanabou and tossed it aside right before tripping Rinka to the ground and pinning her down with a foot.

"You certainly talk a big game for someone I just took down so easily," Corrin said. "Guess those muscles of yours are just for show."

"Holy cow!" Elise exclaimed from where the others sat and watched. "You guys all saw that right?"

"We saw it Elise," Leon said. "Not surprised that Corrin won that easily."

"She is our sister after all," Camilla said. "We raised her to be the finest warrior she could be." While Xander's younger siblings complimented their sister on her swift victory, he saw things differently. Garon noticed this and asked him for his opinion on the battle.

"What do you see down there Xander?" the king asked.

"I see…that Corrin's opponent is not yet finished off," the paladin prince answered. His siblings turned to him with confusion and looked back to where Corrin was. Just as he had said, Rinka wasn't out of the fight just yet, and boy did she look pissed off.

"Looks like you don't have much fire in you without your little twig in your hands," Corrin continued taunting, but a quick look at Rinka warned her to back up as quick as possible. With a furious howl, fire exploded all around Rinka right as Corrin retreated to safety. The princess looked on in surprise as the oni woman rose to her feet, cloaked in a thick blanket of flames and glaring with pure rage in her direction. In all Corrin's years of training with her siblings, nothing prepared her to fight with an elemental.

 _"You miscalculated the extent of my fire, princess…"_ Rinka told her in a low growl. _"I need no weapon to burn as bright as the sun;_ _I am a flame blood descended from the Ifrit of old!_ _I_ _"_ Corrin took up a defensive stance with Ganglari in hand, waiting for Rinka to make her move. The oni woman inhaled deep and expelled a large stream of flames the princess's way. While Corrin jumped out of the way, Rinka simply jetted herself toward the princess with flame propulsion, catching the Nohrian in a flaming tackle.

"Gaahhh‼" Corrin clutched her torso where she was burned, looking up in time to see Rinka coming at her with a flying roundhouse kick. The princess managed to move out of the way to avoid the kick, but the flames hugging Rinka's frame lashed out further than her kick could reach, giving Corrin a light lick across her chest. The oni pressed on with her attack, following up her wheel kick with a back kick, blasting Corrin several yards away.

"Milady!" Gunther couldn't sit and watch his mistress take on the oni on her own, but the oni woman did too much damage to him. Maybe he could distract the Hoshidan long enough for Corrin to get in a decisive victory. "Come now Jagen, let's see what a Nohrian can do with a Hoshidan weapon."

"What does that old fool think he's doing?" Jakob asked in disbelief, looking at Gunther making his way toward Rinka's discarded weapon. "He's hardly in any condition to help Mistress now."

"Neither are you," Garon spoke. "The two of you would only slow her down, though I suppose you may serve as some distraction for that oni to deal with." Jakob immediately cast a hateful look his king's way, though the king's own glare replaced the butler's anger with fear. "If Corrin isn't so hesitant to use her newfound dragon powers then she may stand a chance against this warrior." Xander could tell from the look on Corrin's face that she was having a difficult time battling the fire-cloaked oni, hoping that his sister would use her dragonstone already.

 _"What's the matter princess?"_ Rinka mockingly asked. _"You certainly talked a big game earlier, and I want to see if your prowess_ _is as fierce as your mouth_ _!"_ Corrin hated being taunted over her current situation, but she knew that she asked for it by mocking Rinka in the first place.

 _'Perhaps that was a bad decision,'_ Corrin thought, just barely missing Rinka's flaming fist. _'Maybe she would be less of a pain to deal with now. Then again, I wouldn't get a real challenge out of her or a chance to prove my superiority.'_ Corrin waited for Rinka to make a mistake and then unleash Ganglari's might on the oni, even taunting the woman with a "come hither" gesture. The enraged Hoshidan took the bait, charging at the Nohrian with another tackle. Once Corrin sidestepped the tackle she rushed in to deal a powerful stab to her opponent, but Rinka was smarter than that; in a split second Rinka dispelled the thick aura of fire in a large explosion from all around her, forcing Corrin off of her. Corrin was knocked to her rear, quickly regaining her footing only to find Rinka wrapped within more flames.

"This little game is getting really old, Hoshidan…" Corrin snarled.

 _"The Nohrians have brought this upon you and themselves,"_ Rinka similarly spoke. _"If you come quietly then I will put out my fire. If not, prepare to be burned by the flames of Hell."_ Rinka took a step toward Corrin, ready to do more than simply scorch the princess, but the whirling of a weapon headed her way caught her attention. She turned to her own oni-kanabou and punched out a fireball toward it, burning it to cinders. Looking for the foolhardy culprit she found Gunther headed her way with his spear. Rinka didn't have time to deal with two Hoshidans, charging up an intense fire blast to hurl the knight's way.

"Not happening!" Corrin shouted at her with Ganglari in hand. Taking Gunther's approach as an opportunity she bolted toward the occupied Rinka and struck her with her sword, slicing through the oni woman's outer thigh and sending a roundhouse at her still fiery face. The flames died down somewhat much to Corrin's relief, and with Rinka disoriented Gunter planted his spear firmly into her kanabou-arm, causing more of her flames to dissipate.

 _'_ _Damnation_ _a_ _thousand_ _times over‼'_ Rinka cursed inside her head. _'I can't lose to cowards like them, but there's little favorable options left for me…'_ Rinka didn't want to kill Corrin as she swore upon her honor to bring her to Mikoto, but if she killed the princess's knight then the princess would likely kill her; she couldn't die in Nohrian custody, not while her tribe still needed her. Suzukaze wasn't around to help her either, dashing whatever hopes of victory she might have had. As much as she hated herself for thinking such a suggestion, Rinka considered that surrendering to live another day was the best course of action.

 ** _Theme:_**

"Hold‼" Rinka yelled out. Gunther and Corrin stopped in their tracks but did not drop their weapons, eyes wary on the Hoshidan.

"What drivel do you have for us this time?" Corrin asked.

"None…" Rinka wanted to kill herself for it, but she held her arms up at the back of her head as she knelt down, head hung in disgrace. "I yield."

"How do we know that you won't try to burn us the moment we get close?"

"You don't. You only have my word to take, but it's not favorable for me to continue fighting you at this rate. As such, I yield this fight."

"Should we take her word for it Mistress?" Gunther asked. Corrin weighed her options: if Rinka was really surrendering then she had managed to get her into throwing the towel, but if it was a trick then she was likely to get killed. To ensure that it wasn't a trick, Corrin took Ganglari and held it at Rinka.

"Well then, if you truly give up then you wouldn't mind if I cut you open?" Corrin asked, testing the waters. "If you still have a will to fight then you'll fight me back as I do so, proving to me that you speak lies." With little warning, Ganglari slashed across the oni woman's lower torso, cutting deep into the Hoshidan. Rinka could feel the burn of dark magic seeping into her wound, refusing to strike back at Corrin and refusing to let tears of pain flow.

"Not bad, but I'm not exactly finished with you yet." Rinka suddenly wished she hadn't thrown the fight to be spared; Ganglari buried itself in the fresh wound, piercing through some flesh and bone. The pain was too much for her and she ended up collapsing on the floor, grinding her teeth together to keep from shedding tears.

"Mistress Corrin?" Gunther spoke. "I…think that that's enough. She's already on the floor."

"Hmmm…" Corrin knew that Rinka was not to attack her now, but a small part of her wanted to see the extent of how much she would break from the torment. "One last time should do it." The princess took her sword and held it above Rinka's bare back, plunging it down near the woman's spine. This time Rinka let out a choked shriek but Corrin wasn't finished with her; to wrap things up with the Hoshidan, Corrin tilted the blade to cut into Rinka more.

"Argh…stop‼ Please, I surrender‼" Corrin finally forced the waterworks out of the proud tribeswoman, begging the Nohrian princess to put an end to it.

"You are in no position to give me a command Hoshidan," Corrin warned. "You are the aggressors here; if you wanted mercy from us then you wouldn't have come here trying to kidnap me. But…you did surrender, so I suppose that I'll let you live." Feeling merciful, Corrin removed her blade from Rinka, but the look of disgust could not be kept off of her face.

 _'Repulsive…'_ Corrin sneered. _'I'm in no further mood to deal with these Hoshidans, but killing them would be too merciful…Perhaps throwing them into the pit should make them rethink their life choices as they rot…'_

"Get up," Corrin commanded. Rinka heard her but couldn't find the strength to pull herself to her feet again. Annoyed that she had damaged her too much to stand, Corrin reluctantly yanked the woman to her feet, putting her arms behind her back. "Gunther, do have anything to bind her arms with?"

"Just this whip Mistress, but—"

"That'll do." Corrin took the whip and fastened the rope in a knot, binding the oni woman's arms in a compromising hold. Finished with her battle, Corrin lead the ashamed Hoshidan to her family and friends, not expecting to see what she did when she got there; Garon looked his usual self but everyone else seemed very tense, especially Camilla and Xander.

 ** _Theme: GARON, KING OF NOHR_**

"Good work my child," Garon complimented. "You did not use your new dragonstone as I had thought you would, but you have managed to defeat two Hoshidans without it."

"Your praise means much to me father," Corrin responded, losing much of her edge. "Father, if I may ask, what would you do with these Hoshidans if I decided to let you deal with them?"

"Execute them of course. They are nothing more than base-born mountain monkeys only deserving of death by this point in our kingdoms' shared history." Corrin could only agree with her father, having heard many horrible accounts of the Hoshidans mistreating their people on end. Though she couldn't see it, only she shared this sentiment, with everyone else looking on with displeased looks.

"Well then, would it not be merciful if we granted them the death they probably seek? Why not deprive them of the death they want and have them rot in the pit?" All eyes were on Corrin, but only Garon's were the ones without a hint of shock or appall.

"You make a convincing point my child. Very well then, to the pit with them it is. Gunther, escort our prisoners to their new stay."

"Yes, your majesty." Gunther took the chains and whip that held Suzukaze and Rinka bound respectively, passing Corrin a look resembling disappointment and sadness. This made the princess wonder what she did wrong, especially when the knight gave the two captured Hoshidans a regretful glance. Garon took her attention from the Hoshidans being led away to his words.

"You passed your first test admirably my child. For this you shall assuredly be given prestige among the army." The king failed to smile but that didn't stop his daughter from doing so.

"I am humbled to do Nohr well father. I hope to do more for this kingdom in the future."

"And you shall. For the time being I have nothing to assign you, leaving you free to bask in your newfound freedom until the next time I summon for you. Xander, Camilla, Leon, Elise, where are you headed?"

"Breakfast," Xander replied not in his usual tone, giving Corrin reason to worry that she did something he didn't like.

"Hm. I will summon for the four of you after a minimum of three to a maximum of seven hours. I will have important assignments for you all by then.

"Very well father," Camilla said in a dead tone of voice like Xander.

"Until then I dismiss you from these quarters." The king's children bowed before him and turned to leave as he watched. The two generals bowed to the royals as they exited the audience chamber, closing the doors behind them. Without speaking a word, the royal siblings made their way to the dining hall, but Corrin started to feel exceptionally nervous. Breaking the silence, the princess spoke up.

"I'm sorry everyone," she started, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Did I do something wrong?" Again she was made the center of attention, shrinking from the scrutinizing stares she received.

"We will discuss it at a later time after breakfast," Xander simply stated, not giving his sister much more than that.

"I bet you must be real hungry huh sis?" Elise asked, hoping to clear the air of tension. "We've got some of the best cooks in the kingdom making breakfast for us every day! I just know that you'll love the food!"

"Oh, well then, I'm certain we don't want to wait until all of the food is gone then do we?" The second princess caused yet another bout of tension in the atmosphere, wondering what was wrong this time.

"You are right sister, let us get going," Xander said. Not in the mood to say anymore, Corrin just nodded, trailing behind her siblings to the dining hall where they would have their first breakfast together.

 _'Something's clearly bothering them about the Hoshidans. Father was the only one pleased to see them beaten like the dogs they are. Everyone else looked at me with shock or even disappointment. What am I missing here…? I guess I'll find out with an earful to be sure after breakfast…'_


	5. Chapter 2b: Sibling Blades

**_Theme: SHINE IN THE LIGHT_**

Outside in the Hoshidan training ground sat the entirety of the army sans the imprisoned Suzukaze, waiting for the three eldest royals to start their spar. To pass the time, Takumi started a betting pool with the others to see whether Kamui would win or lose; all but Sakura betted on Kamui losing, and Takumi betted his entire week's allowance on the claim. Kamui could hear the various voices all around him, wishing him luck but sealing his fate as well. With Ryouma and Hinoka wielding their best gear as always, one could forgive Kamui if he wanted to back out.

"Um, Ryouma, Hinoka?" Kamui asked.

"Yes Kamui?" the older siblings both answered.

"Promise me that you won't rough me up too much."

"Define 'too much'," Hinoka inquired.

"He means 'go easy on me'," Ryouma said with a chuckle. Hinoka looked to Kamui's nervous face and found her sighing. She thought Kamui was too scared of sparring with her sometimes; the only time she'd come close to severely harming him was one cracked rib but that was one too many to him. She didn't understand why he was so nervous at all; all but him and Sakura suffered a few broken bones and they turned out just fine.

"Kamui, I'll be honest with you; if I went easy on you, I'd be insulting your ability as a growing warrior, not to mention my own ability as a seasoned soldier. I also don't know how 'easy' we can go on you once we start bending. By then you'll really have to—"

"Wait, you guys are going to be bending in this match?" Takumi asked. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I would have betted this week's _and_ next week's allowance on you two winning."

"Takumi, tell me you didn't just say 'betting' did you?"

"Well, yeah. Gotta do something to pass the time, right?" He smiled to get his sister to lighten up, but it only made her scowl further.

"Takumi, this is not a sport to gain petty gratification out of," she said to scold her youngest brother. "It is an honorable test of steel and—" Takumi knew how long Hinoka's lectures could get, so he cut her off, not being in any mood to hear her out.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sheesh, just gotta be the killjoy out of us huh?" While Takumi and Hinoka remained tense with each other, Kamui was still reeling from when "bending" was said to be in the spar.

"Wha…You guys are gonna be _bending against me‽_ " Kamui shouted. This caught everyone's attention, yet only Hinoka wasn't fazed by the outburst. Ryouma looked particularly annoyed, leaning in to whisper to his oldest sister.

 _"Psst, Hinoka, that part was supposed to be a surprise once he had eased into the sparring match,"_ the sword saint told her. _"We weren't supposed to tell him that."_ Ryouma was hoping that Hinoka would realize her error only to get an emotionless "oh well". Kamui glanced between Hinoka and Ryouma who looked stoic and apologetic respectively.

"Guys, I can't even bend‼ What the hey‽"

"I wanted to surprise you later once you had settled into the sparring match," Ryouma explained," "but Hinoka looks to have scared you off now."

"I…bu—…how—"

"Look, you're going to learn how to bend the elements sooner or later using Dragon Vein," Hinoka plainly told him. "If you're not going to be bending the elements themselves soon then we'll just have to settle for training you to evade such attacks. It's not that hard or scary I assure you."

"'Not scary'? Please, Hinoka knocked me upside my head with a few bending blasts before," Takumi said with the partial intent of trying to intimidate Kamui. "I was once bed ridden for an entire week because _someone_ just doesn't let up."

"Oh come now Takumi, are you still upset over that? I didn't even hit you hard. And besides, you were being a smart-aleck as usual; you deserved it."

"So, being a smart-aleck perfectly warrants me getting dope-slapped upside my head, compacted mud and all?"

"Yes."

"Okay, that's enough you two," Ryouma said getting in-between the bickering siblings. "Hinoka, that _was_ too harsh. I understand that Takumi can be…difficult for you to deal with at times, but please do not resort to violence of any sort to discipline him when he starts running his mouth. Understood?"

"Understood," Hinoka answered sounding a little mellower.

"And Takumi, chill out. I understand that you don't intend to agitate Hinoka, but please check yourself if she starts calling you out on it. Understood?"

"Understood," Takumi answered sounding slightly miffed at being told off. With the two siblings not at each other's throats anymore, Ryouma refocused on calming Kamui's mind with the training session.

"Kamui, there's a first time for everything, bending the elements with your Dragon Vein included. It's not so much that you are incapable of the feats that me or Hinoka demonstrate, but mother felt that you might not have been ready to handle it. Now, however, she has decided that it is imperative for you to begin your bending training, starting either with how to familiarize yourself with the elements. I'd say that the sooner you get the hang of this, the better for you and the rest of us things will be."

Kamui couldn't really think of an argument to counter Ryouma's reasoning afterward; the eldest prince always seemed to find some way to ease the second prince's mind, just like their youngest sister and their mother.

"And about the open audience sparring session Kamui, just relax yourself. You're here among family and friends; you'll be critiqued based on your performance as per the norm, but everyone here will be rooting for you to do good like they always do, even if they're betting on you losing. If you simply get nervous having so many eyes on you, everything else will become a blur in the heat of battle."

Now Kamui felt much better about the whole ordeal, almost feeling assured that he would perform well as usual. Ryouma could see such a glint in his younger brother's eyes, cracking a confident grin of his own.

"Now don't think this will be easy Kamui," Ryouma warned. "This training session will be unlike your previous ones due to our bending. As you know, we can use Dragon Vein to freely control the fire, air, water, and earth around us. We've practiced mastering the art of supplementing our styles with bending, so even if you somehow manage to bend the elements during the midst of our spar, we're already well-versed countering virtually anything you could throw at us."

"Not a problem," Kamui shot back, now feeling fully ready to take on his older siblings. "I'll find a way to overcome the odds that come my way, and it's not like I haven't been making admirable progress with you two."

"Now that's more like it," Hinoka commented with a proud smile. "Looking forward to training with your chin up high. Without an attitude like that, you'd surely do poorly against us."

"Just don't start getting overconfident there, big brother," Takumi smugly advised. "You're still some ways away from matching Hinoka and especially Ryouma in battle."

"Don't you worry about me Takumi," Kamui said. "I'll be just fine."

"Okay, but don't say that I didn't warn you."

"You can do it Kamui!" Sakura cheered. I know you can!" The other Hoshidans slowly but surely chimed in, each giving Kamui their own vote of confidence but refusing to change their bets either way. With the entire army's special forces having his back, Kamui ditched any fears he may have had and immediately steeled himself for the spar.

"See? I told you that you had everyone's support," Ryouma said. "Here's your weapons. They've been enchanted like ours so that they'll be as blunt as wooden weapons, so no need to worry for any fatal wounds of any sort. I'll be using my usual set." The sword saint handed the Hoshido prince his katana while pulling out his own Raijintou. Kamui received an iron katana, a silver katana, a kodachi, a dual katana, and a practice katana. Hinoka readied her five naginata (swordcatcher, dual, guard, bolt, and her signature crimson naginata) before hopping aboard Shiida, giving the tenma a slight gesture to get ready. With all three combatants now in their comfortable stances, Takumi stepped in between them and made sure to raise his voice as to inform everybody of the rules.

"You all should know the drill by now, but I'll give you a small refresher just out of routine," Takumi announced. "This is not a gag fight or a fight in the streets, therefore the following will penalize your performance: blinding your opponents, hair-pulling, biting, stomping someone's foot, and _especially_ crotch shots. For that last one I'm looking right at _you_ Shiida." Said tenma only "laughed" at the bow samurai, remembering doing such to him not long ago and getting away with it too. "Ryouma and Hinoka, I know that you know this part, but I'm rehearsing this for Kamui's sake; If you bend you are not allowed face shots with earthbending or firebending. And since Kamui is inexperienced with bending, your attacks must be made to where Kamui can generally see them coming." Takumi looked at his preceding brother and began listing off his passing requirements. "If you can last against Ryouma and Hinoka for at least five minutes or defeat them, then you pass. You got that?"

"Sounds pretty simple enough," Kamui said getting the memo.

"Okay then. All parties who understand this and are ready to kick each other's butts say 'I'." Takumi got the "I's" in short order, pulling out his Fuujinkyuu to fire a single arrow in the sky. "With that settled, let the sparring match begin!"

 ** _Theme: SUPER DRAGON BALL Z—KAMI'S LOOKOUT_**

The wind arrow was let loose into the sky and burst into multiple colors, signaling the fight to start as Takumi hurriedly moved out of the way. Ryouma was the first to attack, cloaking himself in blue gales as he rushed to jab Kamui. While the other prince easily dodged the thrust at him, Ryouma's reflexes were enhanced by initiating the duelist's blow, and he easily jumped over his brother to avoid his counterattack. On his way back down while still upside-down, Ryouma slashed at Kamui's back and immediately jumped away once he landed. The attack gave Hinoka an opening to strike with a darting blow, jabbing her younger brother in his gut with her swordcatcher while wrapped in a verdant gust. Try as he might, Kamui failed to counterattack the princess, creating another large opening for her to sneak in another blow.

"Ouch!" Kamui yelped out. He didn't dwell on his pain for long, aiming his kodachi at Ryouma before throwing it. The crown prince moved a smidge to evade the projectile, but this left him somewhat unprepared for Kamui charging at him. Noticing this, Hinoka had Shiida swoop in to protect her eldest brother, swordcatcher at the ready. The second prince was clever however, slipping past his eldest siblings with a slide along the ground and sweeping his leg out to trip up Ryouma. He didn't get much time to get in an actual blow on the man with Hinoka right there, so Kamui backed away from the pair to form an actual battle plan.

 _'Hinoka's really going to be trouble with that swordcatcher,'_ Kamui mused. _'I still have my dual katana. Maybe I should try surprising her with it when she closes in on me, but then Ryouma has his Raijintou and he's likely going to hit me with a lightning bolt…Let's try dealing with Hinoka first.'_ The second prince held his kodachi as if to attack with it, and just as he predicted the first person to come at him was his sister. He had his other hand near his dual katana but caught a glimpse of Hinoka grabbing her own dual naginata.

 _'I hope Kamui doesn't think I'm that easy to beat,'_ Hinoka thought. The princess shot out her dual naginata fully expecting to jab her brother, losing herself in surprise when she only struck air. She didn't have time to see where her brother went, taking a swipe to her back. _'Argh! Clever little brother…'_ Just as she was turning around and switching her weapon, Kamui came at her with another charge, this time holding the dual katana he meant to counter her with.

"Look alive Kamui!" came Ryouma's voice. Without a second thought Kamui dodged to nowhere in particular, rolling out of the way of what he thought was a lightning bolt crashing downward toward him. If he had bothered to look at Ryouma, he would have jumped instead of rolling, positioning himself to take a sweeping wave of electricity. Capitalizing on Kamui's mistake, Hinoka rushed in with her swordcatcher and swept her brother off his feet. Still airborne, Kamui regained his bearings in time to see the swordcatcher slamming down at him. In a quick spur of thought Kamui whipped his body in a spiral, kicking his leg out at the naginata to deflect it.

"Oof, not bad Kamui," Hinoka spoke. "You're certainly a competent on-the-fly thinker, but let's see how far that gets you now." Right as she backed away, Ryouma came flying at Kamui almost literally, Raijintou ready to give the second prince a jolt. Naturally, Kamui jumped out of the way and flung his kodachi at the sword saint, but Ryouma moved faster than Kamui thought he could.

 _'Whoa, it almost looks like he's gliding along the ground instead of running as if carried by the wind,'_ Kamui thought as he landed, _'Wait a minute…'_ Ryouma's shout brought Kamui from his thoughts, slinging out a crescent-shaped lightning wave at his brother only to see it dodged. Getting impatient with his brother's inaction he initiated the next blow, falling right into the trap laid out for him. Kamui had payed attention to Hinoka rushing in to jab him with her swordcatcher, and banking on Ryouma charging at him he bolted out of the way of his two siblings' warpaths.

"What the—" Almost too fast for her to see, Hinoka's swordcatcher almost crossed paths with Ryouma's Raijintou, halting Shiida's movement at the last second as said brother himself came to a stop. "Phew, almost got you there."

"Good thing you stopped when you did," Ryouma said.

"Back Slash‼" Kamui announced, leaping at Hinoka from behind with his dual katana. Takumi, watching the fight from a distance, face palmed at Kamui's predictability.

 _'He just couldn't resist, could he?'_ Takumi watched to see if his brother's attempt of dynamics wall fall through; it didn't, leaving all but Sakura bewildered. "No way…he _actually_ landed one of Hinata's stupid 'special moves' on someone— _Hinoka_ of all people…Well, at least he does the move more justice than its inventor."

"Way to go Kamui!" Sakura cheered. A few others followed suit while some voiced their disbelief at Kamui landing a hit with the infamous "special move" at all.

"Did you just… _Back Slash_ me?" Hinoka asked in surprise.

"Yup!" her brother responded with ever a cheery smile in his face. The princess gave the prince a long, hard stare before breaking out into a smile herself. It wasn't a cheery one though; it spelled out "you're dead meat" in bright whites. Instantly Kamui's own look shifted from glee to flee-as-soon-as-possible. Right then a powerful gust kicked in, cycling around Hinoka.

"Congrats Kamui, you've landed the first Back Slash ever to be landed," Hinoka said. "I have to reward you for that you know."

"Please don't say it, please don't say it—"

"It's time for your crash course in bending training." The cyclone of air exploded around the princess, knocking Kamui on his rear. He looked up to his sister and found Ryouma right next to her with a similar gust around himself. Shiida gave him the evilest laugh a tenma could manage.

"Oh dear Dawn Dragon almighty, if you're listening to this, please protect me from my siblings and Shiida…"

* * *

 ** _Theme: HOMESICK (DARKNESS)_**

In another land, the sun seemed to rise but barely hung beyond the horizon, not daring to show itself upon the blight ravaged lands for fear of searing them by mistake. Deep within such lands rested the capital of Windmire—home to Castle Krakenburg and the royal government body. While a few of its select members were busy with relaxing after Corrin's recent success against Hoshidan prisoners, a single supreme knight was leading two of the surviving Hoshidans to their new stay.

"I may regret asking this, but where exactly are we headed?" Suzukaze asked Gunther. The man remained silent, letting another do the talking for him.

"No, not into the pit‼" a man screamed. He looked to be a young man being carted from his arms and legs by a cavalry and armor knight.

"Look pal, it's either the pit or King Garon himself. Which one's it gonna be eh?"

"Oh gods, _not_ King Garon‼ _Anything_ but him‼"

"The pit it is then."

"W-Wait, can't I—"

"Nope. No take backs. In ya' go."

"W-Wait‼" The young man was helplessly tossed down a chute, screaming the entire way down until a harsh thud was head. Only a few seconds later was his voice barely audible saying something along the lines of "nice Faceless" before a dying, gurgling scream rang throughout. The two knights snickered to themselves while Gunther, Suzukaze, and Rinka looked to be sick, moreso for the Hoshidan pair.

"Poor sod didn't even know that there's more than one 'Pit'."

"Yeah, like, there's the Shark Pit, the Faceless Pit, the Snake Pit, the Acid Pit, the Spike Pit, and…am I forgetting one?"

"The Bottomless Pit."

"I thought we didn't have one of those."

"We do now."

"Fukken sweet. Oh, and did you hear the guy when he was falling down?"

"I know right!? I didn't even think that he could do a good Howie Long and Wilhelm scream! That shit was priceless! I wish I had my recording tome with me; it'd have been a fukken riot." Growing tired from the two's lollygagging, Gunther cleared his throat to announce himself, spooking the two Nohrians into attention in an instant.

"Sir yes sir‼"

"Return to your posts and get back to work you two," Gunther commanded. "We've no time to be playing around here."

"Sir yes sir‼" The two guards scurried away in haste to their stations if only to not deal with Gunther again, drawing a chuckle from the veteran soldier.

"Rookies. They'll turn tail and scamper when you give them the ol' stink eye. That's seniority for you." Only Suzukaze found himself laughing, albeit coughing a fair amount of blood in the process. "Oh my, I almost forgot about you."

"If you're going to kill us then just get it over with," Rinka grumbled sounding incredibly sour from earlier. "There's no way that I can return to my tribe after being humiliated like this…"

"Don't say that Rinka," Suzukaze said. "I'm certain that they'll still accept you as one of their own despite today."

"How would you know that? You know nothing of my tribe…"

"You two have a family to return to back home in Hoshido?" Gunther asked. The Hoshidan duo only looked at the man with suspicion but indulged him anyways figuring it to be their last interaction with people.

"Yes," Suzukaze spoke first. "I have an older twin brother who is expecting me to return safely along with everyone else in the Hoshidan army."

"I see. And Rinka – if I recall correctly, you mentioned your Flame Tribe or something along those lines. Are they expecting you as well?"

"…Yes. There is no hope of me returning to them a proud warrior though. I've been shamed so horribly fighting against the princess."

"Well, look at it this way: you can't honor anyone properly by doing yourself in. Think of the sacrifices they have made for you to get as far in life as you have. Perhaps that is how Hoshido sees restoring honor, though I can't help but beg to differ." Rinka didn't respond to him, too despondent to care for much of anything by then. Gunther could see that and didn't beg the discussion any further, tugging along the two's binds to escort them into the pit.

"Goodness does it look dreary down here…" Suzukaze noted. "I suppose that that is the point though. Those who end up here must be made to feel hopeless, and the atmosphere does a good job conveying that message."

"Perhaps, but this place is decrepit—much like myself, simply due to rapid deterioration, not by design. Such is Nohr's situation as it stands." The Hoshidans guessed what Gunther meant about the kingdom; a crumbling state like how they had seen for themselves when they first entered Nohr.

 ** _—Flashback: Hours Ago, Outside of Windmire—_**

"Come _on_ now Kirigakure, we don't have all day for this!" Rinka shouted impatiently.

"I would like for you to not speak so loudly in such close proximity of me," the ninja calmly replied. "And more to your point, I am doing everything I can think of to penetrate this barrier."

"Well we're running out of time! Some Nohrian hostiles could be here any second now!"

"Then perhaps it is in your best interest to assist me rather than barking commands." Rinka felt an eye and vein twitch in her head, bustling over to the ninja and shoving him aside. "Hey!? What are you—"

"If you want something done right…" Rinka started, raising her ogre-kanabou, "you do it yourself‼"

"Hey, hold on a minute—" The ogre savage didn't heed him, smashing her kanabou against the barrier as hard as she could only to be sent recoiling from the force.

"Argh‼" A skid across the rough ground didn't do much harm to her body, thought the harm to her pride at failing to smash something was considerable. "Grrr…"

"Come now Rinka, we need a clear head for this to wor—" The moment Suzukaze walked up to Rinka she snatched his gale-dart and held it up against the barrier while rearing her weapon back. Never had Suzukaze ever felt so unnerved. "Erm, Rinka, I don't think that's a good—"

 _"Hrrrraaaaaaggghhh‼"_ The Flame Tribe princess smashed her weapon against Suzukaze's, hoping to stab the dart through the barrier. Predictably, it failed spectacularly, sending Rinka further back than before. Suzukaze only looked at her with pity. "Gaahhh! Sonuva—"

"I tried to warn you."

"Oh shut up and just help me smash through this damn thing."

"Simply smashing through won't do."

"Well I didn't exactly see your 'brilliant' ideas do any better."

"Fair point. Still, this is something we must do with a calm mind, and I can't do this alone. Will you please work with me instead of against me Rinka?" Said woman stayed silent for a moment, displeased with how complicated the whole matter was. She wouldn't even be out in the barren Nohrian wilds trying to get into Nohr had the queen not personally beg her to help get her daughter back for her. As much as she would never admit it, her heart was too compassionate to ignore anyone in need despite her tribe's solitary stance, and as such she made a heartfelt promise to get the queen's lost child for her no matter the cost. Remembering why she was there, she calmed herself down to return to the task at hand.

"Fine. Clearer heads prevail after all."

"Thank you Rinka, that is all I'm asking. Now, I need your help to analyze what form of sorcery this barrier is made of."

"I'm none too keen with sorcery, but I'll try something at least."

 ** _Present Day_**

Rinka could remember everything so well; the two of them had made their way into Nohr through one of the most unexpected and bizarre ways possible; Suzukaze was a frequent victim of women crowding his company, and Rinka had noticed one such woman's strands of hair on him; the woman was a Nohrian refugee who hadn't been magically unbranded as a citizen. Through some magic the pair borrowed from Orochi, they created a form of ward with said strands of hair that fooled the Nohrian-only barrier denying them access to the kingdom. It wasn't long until they made it to the capital, and they were met with a sore sight of a surprise. Having lost themselves in the dreary atmosphere, they weren't prepared for when Nohr's famed knights surrounded them, overwhelming them in sheer number and imprisoning them until the battle against Corrin and her retainers came.

"I must admit," Gunther spoke, "it was rather bold of you to risk so much for what you tried to accomplish. I get the feeling that you were both prepared to die for your cause."

"I wasn't," Rinka admitted. "Now though, I'm starting to see the prospect of death better than having to face such disgrace."

"Come now, it isn't the end of the world yet, and you are still so young; you have a long life ahead of you." Moments after, the trio finally arrived in the dreaded Pit, immediately hit with death's pungent scent and the view of rotted corpses strewn about. This would be the Hoshidans new home.

 _'So, this is how it ends…'_ Suzukaze mused bitterly. _'I'm so sorry everyone. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive this failure of a ninja once more…'_

 _'I can't believe I've failed both my father and the queen…'_ Rinka thought. _'I guess that that's fate though. We can't all be winners.'_ Gunther had let go of their binds for a moment, with him and Jagen tugging on a knob hidden from plain sight. The more the two elders pulled, the higher a part of the wall had risen. Suzukaze and Rinka couldn't understand what was going on, wondering if they were to be taken deeper.

"As I've said, you both have such long lives ahead of you," Gunther said smiling, "and I couldn't think of you two simply laying down here, rotting away."

"I…beg your pardon?" Suzukaze asked.

"Despite you actions here, neither of you deserve to die, at least not today. You have families waiting for you back home in Hoshido, and I'd hate to be one thing keeping you from them. You had best get a move on before others show up."

"I…but, why?"

"I wish I could explain it to you, but I don't have enough time for that. Maybe someday I will tell you, but for now you must escape through here as fast as you can."

"How very kind of you to allow us a passage to escape," Rinka said. "I'm curious, have you done this sort of thing before?"

"Many times, actually," Gunther answered. "Those who are deemed innocent are the ones I let go."

"Innocent? Wait, you mean that you—"

"Come now, I don't have all day here," Gunther said, gutting Suzukaze off and wanting to leave in a hurry. Thinking it may be a trap, the Hoshidan pair carefully made their way to the passageway, shooting Gunther a quick nod before they left. With the two on their way out of the pit, Gunther and Jagen got to work in sealing the secret area before anyone else entered the room.

"Do you honestly believe that that man means for us to escape?" Suzukaze asked Rinka.

"I don't know," said ogrish woman answered. "If he is, then we should get back to Hoshido as soon as possible."

"Right you are." Back on the other side, Gunther and Jagen were wrapping up their charade, wondering what the pair would say to the others. Jagen was worried about someone finding out, whinnying his concerns to his rider.

"Everything will be fine old friend," Gunther assured the stallion. "Risky as it was, I truly believe that we did the right thing. Now come, we mustn't keep the others waiting for long, else they'll suspect something to be amiss."

* * *

 ** _Theme: SUPER DRAGON BALL Z—KAMI'S LOOKOUT_**

"Come on Kamui!" Hinoka shouted as she charged. "What are you so afraid of?! You did well against us so far!"

"This is something I'm not used to!" the prince shot back.

"Better get used to it!" Barely dodging Hinoka's swordcatcher by a hair, Kamui set himself up for Ryouma's own attack, leaving himself open for another attack from Hinoka.

"Now you see why we're so feared among warriors," Ryouma spoke. "With our top-class bending training combined with our unparalleled technique in both armed and unarmed combat, few would dare to challenge us."

"Those who do will be in for an unpleasant surprise."

"Yeah, I should know," Kamui said. "Still, I refuse to fail this test! Bending or no bending at my side, I _will_ succeed!" With renewed confidence, the second prince leapt at Hinoka and looked to thwack her. She knew how crafty Kamui could get, so she simply waited for him to make his next move; instead of feinting like she thought, he really did aim for her. Ryouma was there to cover her though, expelling a twister to knock his brother back. As soon as Kamui was getting up, Ryouma was preparing to attack him with bending.

"Look alive brother!" Ryouma warned. He stomped down and a stone discus popped out from the ground. Without touching it he flung it forward, and much as he expected Kamui failed to evade it. "Come on Kamui, this shouldn't be different from dodging my lightning!"

"Sorry!" the prince apologized.

"Don't apologize! Try harder!" Another earth discus was launched and Kamui sliced through it instead of dodging, taking another earth disk to his gut from Hinoka.

"Whatever happened to 'overcoming the odds that come your way'?" The princess taunted.

"G-Give me a sec…!" Once he was back on his toes, Kamui debated who to go for next. Hinoka was certainly a pain to deal with her dual naginata and swordcatcher, but Ryouma was arguably worse with just the Raijintou in his hands. With bending, Hinoka could boost her already impressive mobility further, and she'd hassle him if he tried to go for Ryouma, not that Ryouma wouldn't do the same. All in all, Kamui knew who to go for; the one he'd been focusing on from the start. "Alright, ready or not!" He dashed at Hinoka hoping to fool her with his mind games. In a flash, he switched targets from her to Ryouma, drawing her to protect him as planned.

"Not on my watch!" Hinoka shouted. Ryouma thought Kamui would lead her to attack him again by mistake, boosting away with airbending. While his brother didn't mean to attack him, that derailed his plan as Hinoka apparently saw through the ploy he never intended.

 _'Darn! Thanks a lot Big Brother!'_ Regardless, he was good at improvising. Catching Ryouma off guard nonetheless, he threw his kodachi at the man, watching it dodged effortlessly. _'Yes! He took the bait!'_ He ran to him again, getting Hinoka to chase after him, but he stopped halfway in meeting Ryouma and leapt straight at Hinoka.

"Wha—?" She couldn't make out the full sentence with a kick to her gut. Finding some foothold on Shiida, Kamui lunged at his sister full speed, tackling her off her mount and landing with a hard thud.

"Woohoo!" Sakura cheered. "Go big brother!"

"You sure are confident that he'll win this one Lady Sakura," Kazahana said.

"At this point, I'm _almost_ wishing that I changed my bet," Tsubaki commented. "He may not be as proper or seasoned a warrior as us, but he does have something that we don't have; an ability to adapt and improvise very quickly."

"We can do that to."

"Not to the same degree as he can. That is what I meant."

"I guess so, but, he sure doesn't plan ahead much, and even if he does it's almost always a trick or something. It's cool how he's able to play it smart but I was hoping I'd see something more straightforward from him."

"Being straightforward is not Lord Kamui's forte when it comes to fighting," Saizou spoke. "That is why he is sticking with subterfuge; if he was straightforward he would be taken advantage of easily, thus he weaves through a web of feints as he makes his opponent guess what he'll do next. It helps that he has a very lithe and slender figure to help him slip out of attacks rather easily."

"I saw him take a few hits before."

"Perhaps Kazahana, but that was mostly when Lord Ryouma and Lady Hinoka started bending; before it was infrequent. Now though, I wonder what other tricks he has left up his sleeve to deal with bending…" Said prince was rolling off his sister after dismounting her from her steed, just in time to be met with a lightning bolt headed his way. He would have dodged, but Hinoka had other plans for him; she tripped him up with a sweep of her naginata, and he didn't hit the ground fast enough to avoid the electric projectile. Once down, Hinoka paid him back for tackling her, pinning him beneath her with a vice grip.

"Got'cha!" Kamui Wrestled with his sister to free himself, noticing Ryouma creep up from afar. Raijintou crackled with more intense energy than before, and before he knew it Hinoka flipped the two of them so that she was beneath him and he was exposed to his brother. All eyes were on him, and his opponents had the most unnerving smiles on their faces.

"You know Kamui," Ryouma started, "we failed to mention that you can simply throw in the towel if you feel too overwhelmed. After all, we haven't properly prepared you for bending training."

"Wait, I could have surrendered if I wanted to?" the younger prince asked. "Why didn't you say so earlie—wait, no. I'm not giving up that easily. Nice try Big Brother."

"Oh, such a shame; I would have passed you if you had. You've made admirable progress, but to have you in such a compromising position is sign that you're not up to specs."

"What?! Get out of here, y-you're just trying to mess with me!"

"Of _course_ they're messing with you," Takumi announced. "They did that to me before and I failed with a flat F."

"Really, Takumi?" Ryouma said annoyed. "We we're trying to test his wits."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for—" It was then that Kamui stopped paying attention to what was being said. Noticing Ryouma and even Hinoka distracted with Takumi, Kamui plotted his escape; rolling over to place his sister above him, he took his legs and shot them outward, kicking Hinoka off him. Ryouma realized it too late, taking a dropkick to his chest followed by a descending strike from Kamui's silver katana.

"Gah!" The crown prince noticeably reeled from the attack, causing the others to worry about the match.

"That actually caused Lord Ryouma pain?" Saizou questioned. "Perhaps I pegged Lord Kamui too inaccurately…" Kamui was coming down from the rush of his attacks, oblivious to Hinoka closing in very quickly.

"Haaaaaaahhh‼" The prince heard his sister and noticed that he was not fast enough to evade her this time. She was going to hit him. Hard.

"Oh crud‼" _'Oh man, I haven't made it past five minutes yet! I can't fail like this‼'_ Time seemed to slow down for Kamui, wondering what to do in the fraction of a second that he had before he was done. To think that he'd fail so badly the first time his siblings used bending against him. _'No, I can't fail, not like this. Please, I don't like praying for success from the divine, but Hydra, if you're watching out for me, please give me the strength to do the others proud!'_ Seeing nothing else to do, Kamui prepared to block the attack head on, expecting the worst jab in his life but hoping for the best. The best came indeed.

 ** _Theme: …_**

Right before Hinoka could make her mark, a fierce gust kicked up around the prince, surrounding him and pushing her back.

 ** _Theme: JEREMY ZUCKERMAN—A PEACEFUL PLACE_**

"What in the world?" a surprised Hinoka gasped. "Kamui, you're…you're _bending!_ " This was news to the prince; he opened his eyes and found himself cloaked in a cyclone. He was just as stunned as the rest of the Hoshidans, all murmuring among themselves in shock.

"How about that…" Ryouma whispered. _'To think that the first time we used bending against him would be the first time he can bend for himself…The world sure is strange…'_

"Unbelievable…" Kamui said. "But, how is this possible? I haven't even been trained to use my Dragon's Vein yet…" The prince tried to feel anything out of the ordinary about himself, finding his answer when he felt a strange new power making itself known. Curious, he tried meditating as Ryouma had taught him while reaching inside at the new power; it was a strange feeling, but it was one familiar to him. He had tried tapping into such a power on his own based on Ryouma's teachings before but to no avail. Now, putting Ryouma's teachings into practice, he tried to take command of his awakened ability.

' _O' hallowed mother who resides within the heavens, heed your son's call: grant me the acumen to wield my Dragon Vein as my siblings have done before me…I call upon the breaths of water, earth, fire, and air to mold me a scion, an Avatar worthy of the Kingdom of Hoshido…'_ With his prayer finished, he could feel the gust cycling him beginning to die down, slowing until it vanished entirely. With the spectacle over, the others managed to find their voices.

"Congratulations Kamui, you've managed to utilize your Dragon's Vein for the first time," Ryouma said. "I don't know why, but something told me that using bending against you today would bring out that locked away potential of yours."

"Don't you feel lucky," Takumi commented. "I haven't been able to get the hang of using my Dragon Vein either, and lo and behold you manage to do so in the heat of the moment. "

"Wow…" Kamui was still in shock over how his newest accomplishment, but he immediately remembered that he was still in the middle of a training session. The moment he drew a katana however, Ryouma stopped him.

"Hold your pegasi Kamui, we're not entirely ready yet." It wasn't long until Ryouma and Hinoka refocused themselves, and soon enough the sibling trio was ready for action once more. Right before they could resume the spar, a samurai and tenma warrior came bolting toward them at full speed, both looking weary and damaged.

 ** _Theme: PRELUDE TO DISASTER_**

"Lords, ladies, and sirs, we bring urgent news!" the samurai panted.

"A village north of the Flame Tribe's settlement has become set upon by Faceless!" the tenma warrior announced. "We were ordered by Her Grace to bring reinforcements; things are looking to go downhill very fast, and only some neighboring Flame Tribe residents and Her Grace's group are holding the line!"

"We'll be right there," Ryouma replied. "Before we get going, how many Faceless are we dealing with here?"

"Too many to count; _Gods_ , I've never seen so much Faceless before in my life!"

"We're losing men and women fast, and the villages and Her Grace's group are only safe for so long!"

"Understood. Hinoka, Kamui, Takumi, and Sakura, we make way for that village!"

"We almost forgot to mention something: According to our scouts, Captain Kirigakure and Princess Kagu-tsuchi of the Flame Tribe are en route toward that village. They're alive but not doing well; if they get there before we do—"

"Speak no more, we understand the situation.," Saizou interrupted, taking out his much beloved Flame Shuriken and his signature Flame Star.

"Faceless you say?" Hinata asked. "Hot _damn_ , I've not had an intense workout in a while! Count me in!"

"Hey, _no_ swearing in front of Sakura!" Hinoka chastised.

"Sorry milady."

"You're all coming with us?' Kamui asked.

"Of course!" Kazahana replied. "Her Grace needs as much help as she can get!"

"We were going to tell the rest of you to stand back while we royals handled things," Ryouma said before turning to Saizou, "but I realized that that wouldn't be such a wise decision. Even if all of us go out there, we'll still have enough troops to adequately defend Hoshido without us, and who better to handle the Faceless than the best of the best?"

"Sound advice," Takumi said. "With that settled we've got no time to lose, come on everyone, to the Flame Tribe settlement!" The Hoshidan special forces packed up their best combat gear and set forth to their destination, hoping that the situation hadn't worsened in the meantime.

* * *

 ** _Theme: JEREMY ZUCKERMAN—RED LOTUS_**

Thick snow covered nearly every inch of the northern lands near the Flame Tribe's settlement, an ironic location for said tribe to be nearby. This wasn't a problem for the shambling legion of Faceless—undead monsters conjured by fell magic, slowly but steadily making headway toward a village far from prepared to deal with any threat. Of course, they weren't the only ones out and about in the wintery landscape. A lone silver arrow pierced its way into a Faceless's mask, killing it in an instant. Following behind it was an ethereal rabbit, hopping up to its prey and double kicking it, dissipating as the ogre-ish zombie fell.

"Beautiful, simply rhapsodic…" a golden kite warrior sighed. "Is there _anything_ _else_ more soothing to the ears than the death throes of your enemies?"

"Not all that hard to think of anything else, really, like Her Grace's soothing voice for one," a diviner answered. "Dearest Yuugiri, you holding up fine?"

"Just marvelous Orochi. I do wonder how Her Grace is doing, tending to all those wounded." Amidst their continual slaughter of the Faceless pack, the two of Mikoto's retainers engaged in some banter to pass the time and lighten the mood.

"She's as right as rain I'll wager, but I had wished these beasts would have picked a better day to do this. I had just remembered that Lord Kamui's birthday is but a mere month away, and I hadn't gotten around to getting his gift yet!"

"Oh dear, I had almost forgotten about that. Good thing I plucked out just the perfect gift for him in advance. All the more reason to finish up here as soon as possible; Lord Kamui must be dying to see what I have for him, and I can't wait to hear him scream with delight."

"Don't be too self-assured there sister; my little princey will adore my gift far above the others. I know him too well to get him nothing but the best."

"Oh ho, confident in your own victory, are you? Don't let being a diviner give you a false sense of assurance there."

"Let's make a wager, shall we? Whosoever disposes of the most Faceless here gets to present her gift first, after Her Grace of course. The loser will have to wait until after the others are finished."

"Challenge accepted." While the two women went to town on the advancing horde, Mikoto was busy healing the injured villagers from far beyond the reach of the Faceless.

"There, all better," Mikoto sighed.

"Thank you miss!" the child thanked happily.

"I am so sorry I hadn't come here sooner; perhaps the casualties could have been fewer if nonexistent…"

"Dearest no, Your Grace," an elderly woman said to comfort the queen. "You mustn't blame yourself for what happened here. We people of Hoshido know with all our hearts that you sacrifice so much for us."

"I know that, but I still can't help but feel that I was lacking in arriving before the damage had been done. To honor those who fell here today, I will do everything I can to protect the rest of you from these monsters. Of that I can promise you."

"Oh, Your Grace, we are all truly blessed and proud to have you as our queen."

"Thank you, madam. Your well-being and happiness is what moves me to be a queen worthy of you and worthy of what Hoshido stands for."

"Look out, Faceless!" a young man shouted. Sure enough, the hulking brute was menacing toward the group of survivors near the village's entrance.

 _'What? How did it slip through the others? No Mikoto, have faith in their well-being. They will pull through…'_ "Creature born of unholy witchcraft, I will not allow you to bring further harm to my people!" Much to everyone's surprise and awe, Mikoto was far from defenseless for a religious woman who preached peace; she took out a beautiful daikyuu forged in the likeness of herself, taking aim at the monster. "Get thee hence, foul miscreation!" Without further delay she let the arrow fly true, striking deep into the Faceless's skull and shattering its mask. The creature stumbled back and forth for a moment before it collapsed to the ground, no more to rise again. The villagers cheered on their exalted queen, none the wiser to the toll Mikoto's weapon had taken on her thanks to her hiding the pain well.

"As the queen of the Kingdom of Hoshido, I must not entertain the thought of failing to uphold the peace we all cherish. Though I do not wish to resort to violence, for the good in this world, I shall rise above all hesitation and do what I must if there is no other way. That is the way of the Hoshidan people: love and mercy before violence tempered by justice." She did not know how long she would last against more Faceless, and while she would gladly lay her life down for her people and for peace she wished that help would come soon.

 _'Oh faithful children of our beloved Dawn Dragon, please make haste. I can only hold so many Faceless at bay for so long…'_


	6. Chapter 3a: The Journey Begins Part 1

The royal Nohrian siblings made their way over to where the dining hall was, keeping a quiet atmosphere on the way. Knowing that she had somehow slighted the others, Corrin hung near the back and was extra quiet to not draw attention to herself. Elise paid no heed to it, skipping ahead of the rest with a hum and was eager to open the dining hall's doors, but Xander stopped her.

"Not yet Elise. We will wait upon Gunther's arrival before we enter."

"Well, you needn't wait any longer," the devil himself spoke. "Apologies for the late arrival, I was caught up in some rookies' shenanigans. I'm considering sending them back to boot camp; they're still wet behind the ears."

"We won't have much soldiers in the army if you continue with that practice," Jakob retorted.

"Fair point, but who needs more new soldiers lacking discipline and skill when we can simply stick with the older ones who's proven themselves already? Experience trumps youth any day."

"Not when the experienced are too decrepit beyond proper function."

"That had better not be a jab at me, Jakob." The two men glared daggers at each other until Corrin stepped between them, barely containing her laughter.

"That's enough you two," Corrin said. "Come now, we don't want to keep the others inside waiting on us, do we? There's food for us all, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I am famished from the two battles I partook in today. A little refueling is in order."

"Sis is right," Leo said. "Knowing Father, we're all going to get some pretty daunting assignments to do for today, and we'd better eat before then if we're going to do any good."

"So, what are we waiting for?!" Elise said. "Grand Central Station of Cuisine, here we come!"

 _ **Theme: CURIOUS DINING**_

Having the green light to enter, the princess threw the large doors open, revealing a lavish room with a large table in the center and a kitchen near the back. While everyone else casually strolled inside, Elise made a darting beeline straight for her two retainers, squeezing each of them in a hug.

"Whoa-ho there fair princess, careful with your hugs now," Arthur greeted.

"I'd hug you back, but I'm worried that I'd crush you by accident," Elphie said.

"Oh pshaw, I'm tougher than that Effie," Elise assured. "How'd you guys' days go?"

"Just a little exercise here and there. Arthur, however, well…you know."

"Oh, poor Arthur. What happened?"

"Well, it was quite the ordeal milady. You see—"

"Master Leo!" Odin announced as his liege took a seat between him and his partner. "You have returned…"

"Don't I always?" Leon pointed out.

"Sure, sure, 'cause you're our superior and all that," Niles said, "but surely you must know how we anxiously await your return whenever you leave us to ourselves."

"The blood of darkness coursing through my veins…it aches and cries out for your presence…" Odin spoke on. "You are the only thing in this world who can keep my inner fell nature at bay, and with you here at my side, my heart and blood can rest easier now."

"O-kay then…" Leon would never get used to his retainers talking to him the way they did – much less crowd his space when they were at it, but as much as it always irked him they were too good at their jobs to simply get rid of, not to mention that he was starting to get used to it. Camilla on the other hand was more than happy to see her vassals again.

"Morning," Camilla greeted, taking a seat between Selena and Beruka. With little warning, she snatched the other two women into a big hug. "Have my two _darling_ cupcakes missed me?"

"Eep! We—we missed you a lot Mistress!" Selena breathed out from Camilla's tight hold. "Please…can't breathe…smothering me…!" Beruka didn't speak but let out an almost inaudible whine, hoping Camilla would get the message.

"Oh, I'm sorry dearies." As sudden as she grabbed them she let the flustered pair go, and Selena took deep breaths to compose herself while Beruka kept quiet.

"With all due respect, Mistress…please warn us before you do that again…" Selena said.

"Oh? But I was under the impression that you adored my hugs."

"W-We do like getting hugs from you, but it's just…uh…"

"You almost suffocate us in your bosom every time," Beruka said.

"Yeah, what she said."

"Sorry darlings. I'll take care not to overdo it in the future." Xander – who watched the scene, slipped out a chuckle before turning to his vassal seated next to him.

"How did your morning fare, Laslow?" he asked.

"Splendid Milord," the mercenary answered. "I checked in on our inventory before working in some practice, just as you asked of me yesterday. Everything's in impeccable condition."

"Thank you. I couldn't ask for a more diligent retainer such as yourself and Pieri."

"Oh come now, Milord. You're making me blush."

"Hi-hi, Lord Xander!" Pieri announced with several piping hot plates of food. "Peri make everyone hot breakfast to fill hungry tummies! You want, Lord Xander?"

"Very much. Let's see what you have cooked for today." The prince inspected the dish of steak and cabbage salad with sides of yoghurt, berry jam, and bread to go with it. "My, my, doesn't this look tantalizing."

"Yup-yup! Peri _loves_ kitchen duty, and Peri hope to be good cook like mama one day."

"And you shall with the effort you always put forth." Xander's view drifted from his plate of food to Corrin and her vassals taking their seats, all of whom prepared her for her meal.

"Guys, you don't have to all of this for me," she said, feeling embarrassed like she was being pampered.

"Nonsense Mistress," Jakob responded, draping a dining sheet over Corrin. "It is our pleasure to assist you in all manners we can think of."

"Yeah, wh-what he said," Felicia agreed, placing Corrin's utensils before her and earning a swift brow raise from Jakob.

"Erm, Felicia? That's not where the cutlery goes." The other retainers would have thought Jakob too uptight about cutlery placement had they not had seen that Felicia had them in odd spots.

"It's…not?" The maid took too long a stare to realize her error, apologizing shortly after. "Oh, whoops."

"Here, let me show you," Flora said. She took the silverware and placed the them in the proper spots, but as Felicia gave her a smile in helping her she got confused looks in return. "Is something not right with you today Felicia?" Flora questioned. "Even with your usual clumsiness you never misplaced silverware before. And…are those discolored bags underneath your eyes?"

"Huh?" Jakob and Flora walked over to Felicia and took a closer look at her; indeed, she had noticeable sagging under her eyes indicating a severe lack of sleep, and among finding that out the two noticed how unkempt she really was: chapped lips, an unfocused stare, clammy skin to go with her frazzled hair, and a mild case of bad breath. That Felicia didn't so much as barely flinch from two people touching her face troubled the others, questioning how they hadn't already noticed her looking the way she did.

"What in the…" Flora said, apparently catching her sister's attention. "Sister…what's going on?"

"Whuh…what do you mean?" she asked sounding dazed.

"You sound out of it and you look, just… _awful_. I knew that you weren't looking your best back at the Northern Tower, but now that we've gotten a better look at you…just…why?"

"'Why'? I don't…"

"Felicia, look me in the eye when I say this: what's going on? I asked you earlier about why you haven't been getting enough sleep but you didn't answer me, and now that I see that it's a problem this is something I need to know. Now." Felicia had almost forgotten about that, but the moment it all came back to her she stopped looking like she crawled out of bed; she looked like she just got back from an attempt on her life. "Felicia…?"

"N-No, it's…never mind," Felicia said. "I'll tell you about it later." Again, Felicia was adamant in not explaining what was up, putting on her best "I'm fine" smile. Flora didn't buy it for a second, glaring at her younger sister for skirting around the issue but nevertheless letting it die down for the moment. She would get her answers later, and she knew just how to corner her sister away from prying eyes in case it was a private matter. Meanwhile, Pieri couldn't help but stare at Corrin, never having seen her before.

"Uhhhh…Lord Xander?" the cavalry knight asked.

"Yes, Pieri?"

"Who she?" The cavalry knight directed a finger to the princess sitting not too far from them. "She pretty."

"That's…Oh goodness. Thank you Pieri; I had nearly forgotten to introduce her to everyone when we were coming in." Clearing his throat Xander stood to his feet and raised his voice by a little to get everyone's attention.

"Pardon me everyone, I have a small announcement to make." Faster than he could say "Kingdom of Nohr", everyone quieted themselves; it helped that everyone was relatively quiet to begin with. "It has almost slipped my mind to acquaintance you all with someone I had long wished for you to meet. She is a dear member of our family and I am proud to say that she has become a fully realized knight of the Kingdom of Nohr. For so long we have cared for her and trained her to be the best she could be, and she has proven herself more than worthy of finally standing at our side as a comrade in arms." It wasn't long until all eyes were on Corrin, and all but Beruka was smiling at her. She suddenly felt bashful from both Xander speaking so fondly of her and from everyone else's attention on her. "Everyone, meet the second princess of Nohr, Corrin. Sister, would you rise from your seat and greet everyone here?"

"O-Of course brother," she replied. Corrin rose from her seat and did her best to smile, coming across as nervous and shy before speaking. "Good morning everyone," she said with a small wave. "How do you do?" While she was received warmly by all but the silent Beruka, she was at a slight loss of what else to say. It was justifiable; she had never personally met anyone in the room, but she knew about them from the dream she kept having. Much to her relief it didn't look like she would be left speaking for any longer, as Xander made his way over to her.

"In today's sparring session, she performed admirably against me," the prince said, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Through virtue of strength and guile she managed to defeat me in less than five minutes, the time she had to last against me to pass otherwise. To speak further of her strength, I can still feel the sting of her bare sole against the side of my face despite healing my other battle injuries, and the force of her sword swings are already something to fear." Xander couldn't help but laugh at it but it made Corrin shrink when it got her some funny looks. "We are so proud of having been with her for so long, and with Father's ordination she is finally free to pursue her destined path. Corrin, is there anything you would like to say?" The princess thought about it for a second, wondering if she should bring up her dream now that she was given ample time to discuss it, but something told her to save it for after breakfast or at least until she could have someone tell her the meaning of it all.

"Yes actually," she finally responded, clearing her throat out. "It is such an honor to have earned my way a place in the Kingdom of Nohr through hard work and determination. But above all else, I must thank my loving siblings and vassals for always being there for me, cheering and pushing me on to do great; had it not been for them, I would not be here sitting among you all as a peer. I shall strive to do my part in the advancement of this kingdom, and I shall not rest until I have helped set things right. Let us be that spot of hope within this bleak shade among the people, and with hope may the people will rise with us to rebuild our home into a kingdom of greatness. Through faith and effort, and through whatever obstacles that be, it will be done. Thank you for your time." A round of applause followed Corrin's short speech as she bowed in respect before taking a seat.

"Wasn't that inspiring?" Xander spoke. "We have always told ourselves that if anyone was going to pave a new path for Nohr, it would be Corrin. I have seen her passion to become a knight that will steer this kingdom into prosperity, and with her talents I have no doubt that she will be a fine leader amongst our people." Having said enough, Xander returned to his chair, raising a glass in a toast. "With that all out of the way, it's the moment we've all been waiting for: I hereby declare that we all dig into our food with thanks to the dusk dragon and grant no quarter to our meals." Mouths had long salivated over the food, held back by the absence of all parties present; with the green light to go, the food was savagely being torn through and picked apart as though everyone had been starved. The sight was a little off-putting to Corrin, but Gunther assured her that it was all normal.

"Relax Milady, everyone is simply eager to stuff themselves silly with Pieri's first-class cooking," he said. "As much as I would like for everyone to eat their food properly, so long as no major mess is made—" The moment he said that he saw several people quickly collecting stains on their clothes and faces within a matter of seconds. Even Camilla and Leon couldn't hold back their ravenous appetite. Now the strict Gunther was beginning to surface, drawing a laughing smile from Corrin.

"Now, now, Gunter. A few stains here and there is nothing to worry about, is it?"

"If they won't come out then it is most certainly something to worry about."

"Is the food _that_ good to cause permanent marks?"

"…I suppose not. The food is exceptional of course, but I wish that the others would have some modicum of dignity when it came to eating."

"Oh lighten up you big grump, and get to your food before it gets cold. That's an order."

"Yes Milady." The old knight took to his chair as Corrin briefly debated what to sink her teeth into first. Starting with the berry jam, she drizzled it over her steak and chomped into the dish, feeling her tongue's taste buds explode like fireworks. It was love at first bite, and it wasn't long until she too was infected by the others' feverish eating. A barely smiling Gunther merely perched a single palm at his forehead.

"Good grief…"

* * *

It was minutes later when nearly everyone ended up either slouching forward or backward in their chairs, all with a grin of satisfaction plastered to their faces. Not all the food was gone but the craze had died down significantly, much to Gunther's relief.

"Wow…" Corrin sighed. "I thought I knew heaven in food form, but I had been _so_ mistaken."

"Pieri is that good of a cook," Gunther said. "She's not put on cooking duty all of the time, but when she gets behind the stove everyone's mouths begin to water like dogs. Truth be told, my own cooking could use improvement."

"Your cooking isn't bad."

"It's edible at best. I try to make it practical, but delicious and practical are two things I can't seem to mix together. Everyone says it tastes like steel."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Suddenly a belch brought everyone out of their stupor. They turned to a blushing Felicia with a hand covering her mouth.

"Excuse me," she apologized, only to get roaring laughter as a response. She joined in with the others until another belch escaped her lips. This time something felt off about her. "Oh boy, maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much…Um, excuse me everyone, I'll be right back." Before Flora could ask what was wrong, Felicia was already out the door. Worried for her sister Flora ran after her, herself followed by Jakob and Gunther who wanted to make sure that Felicia wasn't ill.

"Please excuse us Milady," Gunther said to Corrin as he slid through the doorway after the other three.

"Uh oh…" Pieri said. "Peri hope Felicia no sick from food…"

"Nonsense," Xander said. "There's little chance of falling ill from your food unless one eats too much of it. That's how it is with any sort of food. Then again, she didn't have much to begin with, and she didn't look all too healthy to start." While everyone was recovering from Felicia's sudden departure, Elise was staring at her own plate, not with the usual cheer she had.

"You know," she started, "I'm starting to wonder if I eat too much."

"Balderdash my dear," Camilla told her. "If anything, you need not be so picky with your food darling."

"Yeah," Leon chimed in. "Now that I'm looking at your plate, you barely ate _anything_."

"What's wrong my little cinnamon bun? You're not ill either are you?"

"Nah, it's just…every time I look at my food I wonder if everyone else is getting as much as me."

"Elise, everyone gets the same amount of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Leon said. "Not even we eat more than the others."

"I'm not talking about us. I'm talking about the people outside the castle. You guys know how we get more food than everyone else right?"

"What are you—wait, now I know what you mean."

 _ **Theme: HOMESICK (DARKNESS)**_

"I can't help but feel that it isn't fair that we get this much delicious food when everyone else is struggling to eat something just to not feel hungry. Shouldn't everyone be able to eat like us?"

"Elise…"

"Darling, I hate to think of how others out there aren't getting as much as us, but Father stresses that we – as the ones who can make a difference in Nohr, get as much as we do just to allow us to be successful. Tell me something dear: even after eating a meal, do you still feel hungry?"

"Y-Yeah, just a little bit."

"There you have it," Leon said. "We may individually eat more than others do by a margin, but Father makes sure that we don't eat too much ourselves given how poor Nohr's harvests are. Breakfast is just enough to get us through our morning missions and by the time lunch comes we'll be craving food like we always do. The fact that we all woke up with some pretty powerful hunger is telling of how much we eat. I'm surprised that we don't feel starved all day."

"Father enchants the food to give our own stomachs the illusion of feeling somewhat satisfied enough to not have cravings." Camilla said. "All of that subsides after a spell and he doesn't use much of that magic in the first place, so things quickly go back to 'when am I going to get my next meal'. That's why we are forbidden from eating another's meal so that we can all get through each part of the day. Some others' bodies, like your vassal Effie, demand more sustenance because of how much they exercise and you can tell how she suffers from it all." Elise just kept quiet knowing how things were.

"I'd kill to eat just as much as even the commoners of Hoshido," Leon said. "Even some of the poorer people out there can eat food that'll stuff themselves for almost half the day thanks to their harvests from what Father said."

"The people out in Hoshido eat _that_ much?" Corrin asked in a start. Immediately noticing the edge in Corrin's tone, Xander cleared his throat to get her attention, shaking his head in a disapproving manner to keep her from saying anything hateful about the Hoshidans. She sank a little, but her acquired mood hadn't dissipated entirely. Realizing that he triggered Corrin's current disposition, Leon said nothing more regarding Hoshido. Things remained quiet for a while until they heard the double doors open once more. Everyone turned and found two generals pushing them open for the king himself.

 _ **Theme: RAGING DARK WINDS**_

Following closely behind him was a maid, a sorcerer, and a berserker. Nobody reacted from the king, the maid, or the sorcerer coming in, but it was the bald man scantily clad in charcoal-black and violet Loup-garou-pelt berserker armor that raised brows, and his stone-cold face only served to make the atmosphere tenser than it was. Once Xander recognized the man however, he could not have stood any quicker from his chair with his teeth bared like a beast.

" _Ghans?!"_ he nearly shouted. " _What_ in Anankos's name are you doing here?!" Camilla and Leon heard the man's name, and just as Xander was doing they reached for the weapons they had underneath the table. The man didn't even flinch at the daggers glared in his direction nor did he falter when the armed royal siblings prepared to strike him. However, he needn't worry for an attack on his person.

"Xander, Camilla, Leon," King Garon spoke, "stand down." His response was as he expected: pure disbelief. He didn't want to debate with his children so he quickly got them to resume eating. "Unless I give you an order to attack an official of the Nohrian army, you are to keep your weapons on standby. Am I understood clearly?" He waited for an answer but didn't receive a verbal one; his children slowly put away their weapons but kept their animosity toward Ghans and made it clear, sitting down with their eyes glued to him.

"I understand how the three of you are feeling," the sorcerer spoke. "Worry not; we have nothing but the utmost faith that this man has been completely converted into a loyal soldier of the king. I should say, the rehabilitation trials were most… _difficult_ for him to complete. That he did is a sign of his goodwill to serve the kingdom. Is that not unlike your own retainer Niles, Prince Leon?"

"I find that highly debatable Iago," said prince replied. "Niles was a scumbag, I'm not denying that, but if I had to choose between the entire gang he used to roll with and Ghans right there, I'd choose the gang."

"Hm…fair enough for one of the most brilliant of minds in this kingdom. I do so hope that you all will eventually come around to your newest comrade. He is willing to turn his life around and he brings much to the table." While no one else spoke, the point was made clear: Ghans was now serving King Garon. While the siblings accepted the fact, they didn't like it, and even Corrin was giving the man a disapproving look, catching Iago's attention. "Ah, if it isn't Princess Corrin, finally out of the Northern Tower and sitting among her family. What I have heard about you from His Glory pleases me greatly."

"I'm…honored that Father speaks so highly of me, but, who are you now?"

"Oh, my apologies your highness. I am Lord _**Iago Macbeth Shakespeare**_ , trusted advisor to His Glory and esteemed tactician of the Army of Nohr." The sorcerer gave Corrin a bow of respect as he introduced himself. "I was given an additional task to oversee your progress as you matured throughout the years and devised the many training regimens you underwent. That you passed all of them with exceptional performance is nothing short of admirable."

"I…am pleased to hear such praise from you, Lord Shakespeare." Corrin returned his bow with a respectful gesture of his own, but there was something about the man that made her feel uneasy. She didn't get to think on it much as he spoke again.

"I see that you are all nearly finished with your breakfast. His Glory has many an assignment for you all, so I do hope that you have been nourished enough to last the morning." With his advisor done speaking, Garon made his way to the table, taking a seat right next to Xander. Iago and Ghans on the other hand both took a seat on either side of Corrin where Gunther and Jakob once sat, immediately causing Xander to grip the table harshly.

"Contain yourself, son," Garon commanded. It took about ten full seconds for Xander to relent but he retained the harsh stare. Corrin felt incredibly uncomfortable being in-between the entire room's subjects of ire, but she maintained a neutral face as she resumed eating her food, wanting to get out of the two men's immediate presence.

"So, you're Princess Corrin?" Ghans asked.

"Yes," she quickly answered.

"I gotta hand it to ya', your old man says nothing but good things about you. He believes that you'll one day become Nohr's most powerful military leader after Xander and himself. Allow me to say congratulations for earning such a high honor from the king." Ghans attempted a friendly gesture with a laugh and a pat on Corrin's back; Xander shot up like lightning with his hand on Siegfried.

"You _dare_ lay a hand upon my sister?!" he snarled.

" _Xander‼"_ Garon howled, giving the entire room damn near a heart attack aside of Iago and Ghans from his voice's sheer volume. The prince faced his father with a terrified look. "Do _not_ have me restrain you myself. You are the crown prince of Nohr, and I refuse to allow you such undignified bouts of emotion. Now _seat_ _yourself_." It took Xander too long for Garon's liking to listen to him, ever so slowly returning to his chair. "Do you not think my own judgement sound for allotting Ghans a rank within the army, the company of the finest soldiers of Nohr, a seat next to your sister? You are free to disagree with me in opinion, but acting against me – directly or not, will end most unfortunately for you, so remember _your_ place for I know that Ghans has earned _his_ place here. Am I understood _clearly_ this time?"

"Your words are heeded with transparent understanding," Xander answered with venom in every word he spoke.

"Good. You may have arrested him in the past but it was I who monitored his progress in changing his demeanor, not you. Keep that in mind the next time you feel a need to threaten him." With Xander giving his showing of understanding Garon finally got around to saying what he wanted to say when he entered. "Who oversees serving breakfast?"

"Um, Peri is, Your Glory," Pieri answered in a clearly shaky voice.

"Answer me again, and this time _properly_. Who oversees serving breakfast?"

"Peri is Your Glory!" the girl threw out, trying to sound confident but ending up looking and sounding like she was yelling at the king. Garon's face slowly melted from emotionless to increasing anger. Xander quickly tried to intervene fearing for his vassal's life.

"Father, please, allow me to speak on her behalf—"

" _No. More. Out of you,_ " Garon sharply cut in. The crown prince kept his mouth shut this time, watching Garon rise from his chair and walk over to a faltering Pieri. The moment he scooted his chair back to do something his father snapped to his direction. " _Remain seated._ I will not tolerate another one of your moods." Xander dared no other action after that, and Garon returned to the now sniveling Pieri.

"Listen to me carefully. Xander may see something in you and he may tolerate your lack of proper character toward those who are your superior, but I will not. You will be proper when addressing me, lest you face harsh sanctions."

"Y-Y-Yes, Y-Your Glory…"

"Cease with your sniveling child. It's a disgrace to your master for you to act like this. I will never understand why my son chose you as a suitable retainer."

"What…?" Garon heard Xander hissing. He turned to his son but no longer found a look of fear; it was anger eerily like his own now. Xander really was his son; he didn't take anyone questioning his judgement, but that still didn't make it okay for Xander to act the same way with him. "Do you not think my own judgement sound for allotting Pieri a rank within the army, the company of the finest soldiers of Nohr, a seat next to me? And after you already chastised me for—" In the blink of an eye Xander found Bolverk's blade ready against his throat, and everyone had jumped from their seats in shock. Ghans looked on with confusion and Iago winced from the display. Xander didn't need to be told anything else to get his father's message, but for once he remained defiant in the face of the king. With Pieri having gone quiet, Garon assumed her to have regained her nerve and restated his earlier question.

"Who oversees serving breakfast?"

"I am, Your Glory," Pieri finally said.

"Hm. I wish for whatever you served everyone else. Make it quickly."

"I would like to order a berry smoothie," Iago said. "Make that a berry smoothie with a side of bread and creamed beef, well-done I might add."

"Just a steak for me," Ghans said.

"As you command. I'll cook your breakfast for you in just a minute." With that the cavalry knight walked behind the kitchen doors slowly to not look as though she was trying to get away from Garon. As the Nohrian triad waited for their food, Garon spoke up to inform the rest of their morning duties.

"We have a long day ahead of us today," he said, "and as such you all must be aware of what will be going on as it is important. I have a solution to Nohr's drought." This got the others murmuring among themselves about what the king meant, from things ranging from sorcery to a secret horde of resources he discovered. "It is none of those things you are discussing now. What I mean is that there lies a solution to the East of Nohr."

"The East of Nohr…?" Xander wondered. "East of Nohr is…" He didn't want it to be so, but because he stopped midsentence Garon urged him to share his thoughts with the room.

"What do you believe I am referring to Xander?"

"…The Kingdom of Hoshido."

"Exactly. For some time, I pondered how to go about this. As we know the world consists of Hoshido and Nohr, but there is nothing in Nohr that could help the entire kingdom. And with diplomacy between us effectively non-existent, there was only one answer to all of this."

"Are…you suggesting that we—"

"Yes. After much deliberation, I feel that now is the time to act. We are going to conquer Hoshido." Shock filled the dining room, with some wondering how the king could think of such a thing. "Listen up everyone; despite our past grievances with each other, the Kingdom of Hoshido is staunchly a non-violent one. The queen – Mikoto, is limiting our efforts to instigate a war with Hoshido; a barrier exists around the capital, altering the minds of outsiders who wished to do harm and sending them back whence they came. To counter this, many of our high mages conjured undead machinations – known as the Faceless, to send them into Hoshido. As mindless creatures naturally destructive, they were almost perfect for the task. The problem lied with being unable to control the Faceless once they were past the barrier, limiting the damage that could be done, yet the Hoshidan populace appears to be ignorant of this so far. With this failure, we will need someone to go in to Hoshido to discover the inner workings of Mikoto's barrier. From there, we can find a way to subvert it for a select individual or two to kill the queen. With her death, Nohr will be closer in enacting war upon the Hoshidans." While nobody felt too comfortable about the war, Laslow, Odin, and Selena seemed to be especially tense.

"Who will you send to infiltrate Hoshido for information, Father?" Xander asked.

"A good question, but I already have the answer: Laslow, Odin, and Selena will be going."

"Them? But, why them Father?"

"They have been to Hoshido before, and as such they will know their way around. You three still have your Hoshidan garments, do you not?"

"Yes, Your Glory," Laslow answered.

"Is it going to be just us?" Selena asked.

"It will be just you. If Zola was competent enough to create disguises for everyone then you would not be going alone. Sadly, that is not the case."

"We understand," Odin said. "We'll return with the necessary knowledge to subvert the barrier's power."

"Good. You will leave at once."

"Now?"

"Now. Do not fail me." The three Nohrians nodded in response and took to leaving, and right as they were departing Iago called out to them.

"One last thing," the sorcerer said. "I've done a fair bit of research of Hoshido before and I've come to learn of a regalia weapon beside Prince Ryouma's Raijintou and Takumi's Fuujinkyuu that they call the 'Yato-no-Kami'. I believe that it translates into 'Holy Night Blade', but word on the grapevine has it that whosoever collects that weapon and combines it with the other four regalia weapons will wield untold power that can change the world. However, there is a catch to such a legend: it is said that only a select few can wield the sword for whatever the reason is. In any case, I want you to find the 'Yato-no-Kami' and – if possible, seize it. Such a weapon is too powerful to be left in the hands of our soon-to-be enemies. You are now dismissed, and remember: do not fail."

"We will return with what you seek," Laslow said. With that, the trio left, and Garon turned to his children.

"I have different tasks for you all," Garon said. "On these maps are locations that each of you are to scout out for potential strongholds we could use in the upcoming war. If you encounter any Hoshidans, spare no one and take them all out as soon as possible. Elise, you are not ready for combat so you will remain here and prepare the other soldiers. Outfit them and stock up any supplies necessary."

"Yes Father," all the royal siblings said. Before they all left, Garon had a final message for his second daughter.

"Corrin, you will take Gunther and Felicia with you. They are the better combatants of the four vassals you have, and I have other tasks for Jakob and Flora."

"Of course, Father."

"Ghans will also be accompanying you on your journey. And _before_ you get into _another_ mood Xander, Ghans is on strict orders to assist Corrin only in battle. For your peace of mind, he is forbidden from making any further physical contact with her, and in the event that he breaches his commands he is to be put to death by Corrin herself."

"…Thank you, Father."

"Now go. I have high hopes for you, my children. As for the rest of you, you are dismissed until further notice." With their orders given, the royal siblings marched out of the dining room toward the barracks, leaving Ghans, Iago, and Garon behind. Having privacy among themselves, the trio began to speak of untold plans.

* * *

 _ **Theme: HOMESICK (DARKNESS)**_

"So this is the barracks…" Corrin wondered. "It could use some touching up here and there."

" _Everything_ could use some touching up here and there," Leon commented. "Still, this is better than nothing."

"This place will soon be swamped with soldiers expecting lots of grade-A military equipment," Xander spoke. "Alas, we don't have that sort of luxury; we'll have to start from what we have." Corrin shuffled through the swords in the inventory, looking for which weapons to take. She found a spare killing edge and a levin sword to go with her iron sword in case Ganglari or her dragonstone wasn't fit enough for her mission. Packing her weapons up she was ready to bid her siblings a short-lived farewell. Just a breath away from the barrack's exit, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Not quite yet Corrin," Xander said. "Before you go, there's something we've been meaning to discuss with you—"

"Ah, Princess Corrin," came Ghans's voice as he stood outside the barracks. "Already set to go I see."

"Ghans, now is not the time," Xander said, still retaining his hostility from the man earlier. "I need to speak with my sister in private."

"Fine, fine, but make it snappy. The king wants us gone as quick as humanly possible." The berserker's footsteps were heard leaving, giving Xander and the others had some time to talk to Corrin. With Xander shutting the tent's flaps and with Leon casting some form of sorcery around the space, they all had free reign to speak their mind without others listening it.

"Now Corrin, we are going to be as transparent with you as possible, and you may not like what we are going to tell you: your behavior toward the Hoshidans you battled earlier was nothing short of reprehensible."

"…I…figured as much from your reactions."

"Sister, listen to me. Racism is a disgusting behavior to harbor, and I cannot tell you how appalled we were with what we saw today. I thought that we discussed this many an occasion, and you gave us your word that no matter how much you despised the Hoshidans' actions that you would not allow such powerful feelings of hatred to fester and overcome your better judgement." Corrin remembered those talks well; she did give an oath, but a part of her wasn't entirely honest with her siblings nor herself. She was told in detail of how the Hoshidans were deporting Nohrian refugees or locking away those who refused to leave. Starving, homeless people were begging to be let in only to be shooed away by those who took their own life of excess for granted. From her perspective, why shouldn't she harbor disgust toward them with all things considered?

"Father may approve of it but we don't," Leon said. "We will obey Father's orders for the benefit of our kingdom, but we respect the integrity of good character too much to share his attitudes and we have lines we dare not cross. You saw how he was acting with Xander and Pieri back there right?"

"Y-Yes, I did," Corrin answered. Nothing disturbed her more than that sight alone: her stern but relatively cool father brandishing his weapon on his own son, his _family_. She had never seen him like that before in the sparse moments she shared with him.

"Now you know how our father is really like. No one should act like that, and I wish that Father hadn't grown into that kind of person nor try to impart any of that into you."

"We understand that it may be difficult for you," Camilla started, "but never allow those feelings to surface again. We want you to grow as a princess of wisdom, compassion, and mercy toward others no matter who it is. And I know that I am one to talk about compassion and mercy, so please don't bother pointing that out."

"…I…I'll give you my word I will try my best. But, I must ask this: why? My attitude toward them is despicable as you say, but what about _their_ attitude toward us? Aren't they deserving of such scorn after what they did to our people? Are they not as vile as Father says they are? If so, then why must we be kind to them?"

"Because Corrin," Xander answered, "the actions of the few do not account for the many. We already have some doubt over the extent of the truth of Father's claims, and we plan to investigate this issue further ourselves. We'd rather not have to go behind his back but our own vassals' reports of the Hoshidans' interactions with us conflict with that of Father's and his men's. Much to our misfortune, questioning Father in any way is asking for death no matter who is doing the questioning as you've already seen, and with this war coming on our heels so soon we may not have ample time to uncover the truth of this matter before long."

Asking Corrin to be the opposite of how she was toward the Hoshidans was like asking a hardcore drug addict to give up their addiction cold turkey; she had heard nothing good of the Hoshidans growing up, and the exclusion of Nohrian refugees weren't the only grievance Nohr had with them. There was the matter of her twin brother Kamui who was in Hoshidan custody, kidnapped by the so-called peaceful queen of Mikoto herself and the late King Sumeragi, not to mention the apparent lack of sending Nohr any aid for their severe resource drought. She also strongly desired her father's approval more thanks to being starved of and promised it for so long, more than much else besides improving Nohr's condition and doing her siblings proud. But it seemed that earning her father's approval would clash with her siblings' wishes, and having seen Garon act the way he did with his own children made Corrin question what was going on in the family.

"…I will be honest with you all; this will be difficult for me. I've no good thoughts of the Hoshidans given what they did to us, and I want to believe you that the Hoshidans aren't what Father are making them out to be, but I will need time and your patience with me to come to that conclusion. And now that I have finally seen the way Father is with you, it will take me some while to adjust to that image. I want to ask you this: promise me that if I start to stray in such a way that will displease you, discipline me in any way you see fit to make me see what I am doing."

"You have our word that it will be so. We fully expect you to give this your earnest effort." With all of them being on the same page with each other, Corrin turned on her heel to travel out to the infamous Bottomless Canyon. She stole one last glance at her siblings, a downcast look on her face.

"I promise that I'll do you much better this time. The next I see you, hopefully I will have changed for the better." That was the last she said before she tried ducking out of the barracks, and again Xander stopped her in her tracks.

"One last thing," he said. "I know what Father has said about Ghans, but I would trust that man with absolutely _nothing_ ; I arrested him myself a few years back for mass destruction and murder among many other offenses, but it seems that Father placed him in some rehabilitation program. Having him in our company was bad enough, but having him sit next to you and to _dare_ lay a hand upon you was…excuse me. I'm losing myself again. The point is this: be cautious always with him. Father believes that he is a changed man but I'm not so convinced of that myself."

"I already pegged him as someone not to trust from that dream I kept having," Corrin said not realizing her slip.

"What dream? You never informed us of a dream with him."

"I…haven't? Oh…I had completely forgotten about that. Erm, I'll tell you all about it once I return. Safe journeys to you all." Wanting to get a move on she excused herself from the barracks, finding Ghans waiting for her a good distance away.

"Are we ready to depart milady?" the man asked.

"Yes. Where is Gunther and Felicia?"

"Just up ahead of us. We'd best not keep them waiting."


	7. Chapter 3b: The Journey Begins Part 2

**_Theme: Raging Dark Winds_**

"Ugh, I should have put on some shoes…" Corrin grumbled. "These pebbles are killing me."

"Complaining about it won't help Milady," Gunther said. "The only thing you can do is wait until we finish up here and put on some shoes for the next task."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Aw, a lack o' shoes won't kill ya'," Ghans said. "When I was younger then you I ran through a field o' caltrops before. Didn't feel a thing."

"I can only imagine…" _'But in all honesty, pebbles aside, this new landscape is a pleasant departure from the stone-cold floors back home.'_

"Gods, I can't wait to be rid of this place," Gunther bemoaned. "It's just nothing but horrid weather out here."

"Don't we always have horrid weather?"

"Yes, but this is far more terrible than our worst days. The sky here is always pitch black, lightning strikes anyone who dares fly up too high, and given the name of this place you don't want to be anywhere but on solid ground. Odin would have had a nervous breakdown here."

"Really? Why?"

"He's cripplingly afraid of heights, moreso if there are suspension bridges anywhere like here. Poor lad must have been traumatized in his youth."

"Wow. Well then, I wouldn't want to be here any longer so let's make sure the fortress we need is oper…able…" That's when the group of four saw something they didn't expect to see: Hoshidan soldiers. In fact, two of them were just up ahead.

"Hey, dude, check this out," one of the katana samurai said. "There's like four Nohrians up ahead, and two of them look really shady."

"That's kind of stereotypical but, whatever," the other samurai said. "Let's go see what they want." The two Hoshidans approached the group of four with a neutral expression to avoid giving the impression of looking for a fight. "Excuse me, may you explain your business here?"

"We're just passin' through to Hoshido," Ghans lied. "This is the safest route we can take and we need to buy some stuff from there. We won't be long."

"You're just passing through?" one of the Hoshidans asked. "There are like a million better routes to take than this one, and if you wanted to buy something how come you guys didn't send some kind of export request? We have those you know."

"You do?" Corrin said in genuine surprise.

"Yeah; well, kinda. Our queen tried to set up an export/import system between our kingdoms not that long ago but your king hasn't really responded back about it." Corrin didn't know what to say to that, suddenly having doubts about what they were doing there. This gave her a whole slew of questions she would have to ask her father once she got back.

"Oh. Well then…" The two soldiers looked at her with clear suspicion of her intention but their guards were lowered enough to not expect an immediate attack. Testing the waters with their situation, Corrin asked her own question. "Is it just the two of you out here," she said feigning genuine curiosity. "It seems a bit dangerous for two people to be out here like this."

"Nah, there are a few others up ahead," one of the samurai answered. "We've been assigned watch duty for suspicious looking types coming out here. That guy behind you with that, uh, black armor with fur looks suspicious. No offense."

"None taken," Ghans said in a so-so tone. "I get that all the time. Nothin' new."

"Don't worry. He looks rough but he's a very decent person," Corrin said knowing otherwise. _'I_ wish _that was true…'_

"Oh? I can't imagine many coming out this far. This isn't a very safe location, but it's the safest route we can take; the others are swarmed with brigands."

"Huh. Well if that's the case I guess we can let you through."

' _That actually worked? That was much easier than I—,'_

"'Course our commanding officer must meet with you first. Once he knows that you're just passin' through he'll let you go no problem."

'… _Spoke too soon…'_ If the Hoshidans' commanding officer saw her there was a good chance that a fight would break out, and for all she knew the two Hoshidans before her may have feigned ignorance of who she was and was leading her into a trap. Corrin wanted to deal with the Hoshidans with as little issue as possible, but to her credibility she was a quick thinker.

"Alright then, take us to your commanding officer," the princess said. The samurai pair played right into her hand, leading the way from the bridge to the fortress; before any of them were off it, Corrin suddenly fell with a yelp and a clutched foot.

"Milady, are you well?!" Gunther asked in a start. Felicia and Ghans similarly crowded around Corrin as she remained knelt, wondering what had happened.

"I—I don't know," Corrin said. "I hit my toe against a gap in the bridge. Ooh, it stings!"

"You got a splinter in your foot?" one of the samurai asked. "Here, let us have a look at it." Reluctantly, the Nohrian princess showed off her foot to the samurai as they got down low to check her out. It was bare without footwear much to their bewilderment, but aside of that her foot looked fine to them. Thinking it to be a small splinter they couldn't see they got closer to where they were mere inches away from it.

"It looks pretty fine to me," the second samurai said.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. You sure you got a—" The next and last thing that samurai knew, his face hurt like hell having something slam itself into it before he blacked out. Corrin had kneed him with her other leg as she rapidly stood up, and she slashed through his exposed neck with Ganglari before he could register what was going on. Ghans was quick on the draw as well, taking advantage of the other samurai's shock of the moment and tore his head off in one swing. The two Nohrians quickly rolled the bodies over the bridge's edge into the abyss below, but not quick enough for archers in the distance to not spot them.

 ** _Theme: Advancing Chaos_**

"Sound the alarms!" one such archer shouted to his comrades in the fortress. "Notify Captain Nikuya that we're under attack!"

"It's just four people," one other archer said. "How much trouble can four people—"

"Two of them easily killed two of our own, and I don't want to find out how many more their entire group of four can kill! Now move your ass already!"

"Fine, fine…" Word was spread to the other archers inside of the building, and two of them departed to inform and support their captain. The samurai inside took a horn and blew as loud as possible, making sure their allies and enemies knew what was going down.

"That's a warning blare!" Mozu exclaimed. "We're under attack you lot; send someone back for reinforcements, we'll deal with this enemy quickly if we work together on this!"

"Yes sir!" two archers saluted before heading eastward from the Bottomless Canyon. Mozu absent-mindedly wondered what enemy they were up against, hoping that they had enough manpower to put them down. Corrin — on the other hand and on the others side of the battlefield from him, was kicking herself for her plan.

"That could have been thought out better," Corrin lamented. "Now we _have_ to engage them directly instead of quietly taking them out like I wanted."

"Come now mistress, there's no more we can do about it," Gunther said. "Nothing to it but to do it as some young folk say."

"You're right. And I guess a direct confrontation isn't so bad in a sort of manner; I'll get a much-needed battle experience this way."

"That's more like it."

"Then it's settled. Felicia, Ghans, are you two ready?"

"Always ready for my mistress!" Felicia assured.

"Princess, I was _born_ ready to kill."

"That's…comforting to hear Ghans. Alright then, get ready for battle! We claim this land in the name of the Kingdom of Nohr!"

 ** _Theme: Nariko Nanba/Sonic the Hedgehog—Kingdom Valley ~ The Wind_**

Corrin sheathed Ganglari as she took cover behind a tree. The others followed behind her, waiting for her next commands.

"Got any good ideas Milady?" Ghans asked.

"I'm thinking," Corrin replied. "That fortress over there looks heavily guarded, but that's nothing a small party like us can't handle."

"For convenience's sake and for safety measures, we should try going around it," Gunther suggested. "They'll pepper us with arrows if we try to tackle it head on."

"Maybe a head-on assault wouldn't be so bad after all," Corrin thought. "At the least, it could serve a decent distraction. If that's the fortress we need captured, then we can sneak around to the back if possible and take the fortress from behind. They won't know what hit them."

"Sound idea Milady, but who will be the one to distract the soldiers?" Gunther asked. Corrin immediately turned her view to Ghans, and everyone else followed suit. The berserker already knew what the stares meant.

"Let me guess: I'm the one playin' the cheese for the little mice eh?" he asked.

"Precisely," Corrin answered. "As someone whose body's been through quite the punishment, you're the perfect person for the job. If we manage to find another way around, I'll have Gunther meet up with you, and I want no funny business from you in the meantime." Part of the reason she made the decision was that she also wanted to keep him away from her general vicinity, remembering how he did something she really didn't like from her dreams. It also helped that she just wanted to put him through some hell and that they needed a meat shield.

"Fine by me. I've been itchin' to tear up some hide anyhow. Let's see how them gooks like my little friend." His comment immediately earned him odd stares from the racial slur but he ignored them, barreling ahead with nary an ounce of restraint and howling like the Loup-garou his pelt was fashioned from. Corrin's trio waited for the Hoshidans to get occupied with the man and made their escape.

"Good, they're focusing on him," Corrin said. "Let's get a move on." Corrin, Gunter, and Felicia dashed out from the trees southward as Ghans made his way eastward grinning like the maniac he is. Two katana samurai at the bridge spotted him and readied their weapons, totally unprepared for Ghans's might. He may have had a severe disadvantage against swift katana wielders like them, but all the good their speed did for them was prolong their inevitable death against an increasingly ticked off Ghans. It took nearly a minute, but once Ghans spotted an opening he lopped off one of the samurai's head in a single stroke. The other one faltered in his stance from the way Ghans smiled at him.

"HA ha ha ha ha‼" the Nohrian laughed. "What's this? Is a proud Hoshidan soldier cowering before an enemy? Pah! And you call yourself a warrior."

"Sh-Shut up!" the Hoshidan shouted as he backed away. "I-I'm not letting you—" Not giving the man a chance to finish talking, Ghans silenced him with a cleaving blow through his neck when he lunged forward.

"Ah~, I think decapitations are my favorite way to kill a person." Looking at the fortress up ahead he spotted about four yumi samurai poised to pelt him with a spray of arrows, not to mention a single katana samurai at the fortress entrance. "A rain of arrows against a single warrior? My kind of action."

As Ghans charged ahead, south of him was Corrin's group reaching a cliff. On the other side of it was solid land, but the problem was getting across. Further south was another cliff and what looked to be another fortress across from it.

"I suppose the Hoshidans predicted that we'd take the fortress too," Corrin said. "This looks very much like there used to be ground here. Not a problem my Dragon Vein can't handle." _'I wonder if assuming my dragon form will amplify the effects. If there's a good time for me to test out what my dragon self is capable of, now would be it…'_ Standing at the edge, Corrin pulled out her dragonstone and drew out its power; she felt herself undergoing metamorphosis again, but it wasn't as painful as before, moreso invigorating. Less than ten seconds later the Nohrian princess completely assumed her dragon form, ready to give the landscape a makeover. "Alright, let's give this new power a spin." From the second fortress far-away, a panicked Hoshidan soldier was running to his commanding officer.

"Captain Nikuya!" the out of breath katana samurai shouted. "I bring urgent news!"

"Calm yourself man." the ninja replied. "Speak calmly. Now, what is it you want to report?"

"The Nohrians who are invading here…there's a dragon among them!"

"What?! Where?!"

"Just northeast of us standing at a cliffside!"

' _O' great Anankos, hallowed father who resides within the heavens, heed your daughter's call,'_ Corrin chanted. _'Grant me the strength to give our forces passage to lands untouchable…"_ A sandstorm whipped up around Corrin's body before taking the shape of an earthen dragon. _'I command this breath of earth to form a hardy bridge of stone and restore the land!'_ The sand dragon roared aloud and bolted to the cliffside with a harsh impact. A rumbling was felt and soon a rock formation erected from where Corrin stood. It grew further away from her until it slammed into the other side, creating a sturdy bridge wide enough for a single person to cross.

"Captain Nikuya, you saw what they did to that cliff right?!" a Hoshidan soldier said in a scare. "Any idea on who we're dealing with here?!"

"Oh fuck everything…"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"Everyone, we have a dragon fighting alongside the Nohrians!" Mozu announced. "Call for reinforcements, send a messenger back to Hoshido, and have every able body regroup here! We'll have strength in numbers and it'll make this easier, but don't underestimate our foe if you want to stay alive! Do not – I repeat, do _not_ engage any of them until we're all regrouped! Now go!" The troops present gave a hasty salute and scattered in different directions to pull in as many troops as they could. Mozu remained at the fortress, contemplating their fate. "Gods, this is some mess we're in now…"

"Good, we have a bridge now," Corrin said. "Gunther, you head through here and meet up with Ghans on the other side of the fortress up north, provided he isn't dead already. If he's not engaging the Hoshidans there, find a safe place to hide until we reach you."

"Understood Milady."

"Felicia, you're coming with me. We'll clear out any soldiers that might be further southward."

"Alright."

' _And this way I'll keep an eye on you to make sure that nothing gets you exiled this time…'_ "Hop on, I'll carry you." Corrin lowered herself so that Felicia would ride atop her, but the maid hesitated.

"A-Are you sure Milady? I mean, I've ridden a horse before but, this is—"

"Felicia, we really do not have much time to debate this. Whatever ideals you have about a servant's relationship with their master will have to take a back seat for now. Now hurry, we don't want to delay for much longer." In the end, Felicia complied without further resistance and climbed atop of her mistress, and once Corrin felt Felicia holding on to her tight enough she took off.

"Fortune and grace be with you Milady!" Gunther called out as Corrin disappeared in the distance. With his commands given, Gunther gave Jagen the signal to carry on. "It sure didn't seem as though Corrin liked Ghans so much; she was basically sending him to his death. What do you say Jagen?" Said horse gave a dismissive snort, reaffirming his rider's thoughts about the man as well. "I thought as much. Only His Glory and Iago seems to trust him, and to be frank I don't trust His Glory all that much either. We'll just have to see how this plays out."

* * *

"Damn, I haven't been beaten this bad since His Glory thrashed me while in rehabilitation," Ghans rasped out loud enough for the Hoshidans to hear. "Oh well, that just means I'm gettin' a real challenge here."

"How's _this_ for a challenge?!" the katana soldier shouted. He leapt into the air higher than Ghans could now, his katana falling upon the berserker like a toppled giant. In that moment, he shattered the ebony armor clasped around Ghans form and forced him to drop his weapon.

"Shit, Jack‼" Ghans reached out as his axe fell over the edge. "Well, fuck me…"

"Last chance madman; retreat while you can or die here!" All it took was the tip of the katana at his throat for Ghans to realize his situation, scooting away from the man with a limp.

"Okay, okay, you win…" the man groaned holding his arms up in defeat. "Really starting to wish I chose a different occupation than this…" As Ghans trudged away out of sight, the samurai's comrade approached him.

"Do you really think that that was a good idea?" the archer asked. "That guy looked _really_ shifty."

"It's not the Hoshidan way to dispatch the weakened, even if they are an enemy and no matter the situation. Besides, it looks like he's learned his lesson anyhow."

"I don't know man; he looked all sorts of rotten but whatever. I guess we just wait around for Captain Nikuya's next command." As the Hoshidans went back inside the fortress, Ghans was watching them from a vantage in the woods with an all-too satisfied grin plastered on him.

"God _damn_ I am one good actor. They _better_ hire me for the play based on _'The Shining'_. Now to sit things out and see what happens next, then I'll spring the next part of the plan into action…"

Gunther and Jagen rode across the stone bridge hoping that he hadn't been spotted, finding more forests and some wasteland up ahead. Taking no chances, the two of them hid out in the thick greenwood when they approached it, waiting for an opportune moment to come out.

"I believe we may be close to our destination," the man whispered to his horse. "Quietly now old friend…" Jagen tried to manage baby steps northward praying that he didn't step on twigs on the way, but he instantly froze in his spot when he heard voices headed their way. "Hoshidan soldiers? Where did they come from? Never mind…keep silent for now and let's see what it is."

"I can't believe the Nohrians would breach our peace treaty," one yumi samurai said. "First one of Garon's concubines kills our queen, then he kidnaps our second queen's daughter, and then he kills our king too? What's next, he'll decide to kill our queen?"

"Complaining about it won't help," the other Hoshidan said. "Let's just get to the other soldiers and regroup. That way the Nohrians will regret picking a fight with us."

' _They're regrouping? This won't end well for us if they do that. We have to take them down.'_ "Jagen…" The old horse didn't need to be told what to do next. Gunther readied a javelin that he took with him in one arm and tossed it ahead, quickly taking out his iron lance with the other arm and signaling Jagen to charge ahead. It took a small instant for the bowmen to notice that danger was afoot.

"Get down!" one Hoshidan shouted to his partner. The javelin whizzed overhead without leaving a mark, but the pair was distracted enough for Gunther to backhand one of them with his shield. With one soldier down but not out for the count, he turned his weapon on the other one who had an arrow poised to hit him. Jagen dodged the attack too early and landed right where his enemy planned to hit him: it his front leg. Right then Gunther had slid off and crashed onto the ground below, and the archer was quick on the draw to fire another arrow.

"I won't die here!" Gunther declared, raising his shield to stop the arrow. He was too slow; the arrow scraped by his face, soon to be followed by another. Jagen limped his way in front of his rider to shield him from the projectile.

"A mount protecting its rider," the samurai murmured. "You don't see that every day." He didn't care about it too much either way, ready to kill his targets despite being warned not to do so. Jagen covering Gunther served another purpose he didn't catch on to; it concealed his rider's next move.

"A grave mistake…" Gunther whispered. With his iron lance tight in his grip, Jagen suddenly moved from in front of him and he shot up in a sprint. Startled, the Hoshidan leapt back to evade Gunther but he tripped over a root, landing on back and ending up with Gunther's lance landing in his chest.

" _Argghh_ , Gods‼" He knew he was a goner; between having his heart grazed open and his lung punctured, dying from blood loss or lung collapse was the next thing occupying his mind. He looked so pitiful to Gunther, him and his comrade who was slipping into unconsciousness. He knew that it would come back to bite him, but he knelt and drew forth a flask hidden in his armor. Jagen whinnied in a concerned reproval.

"Relax old friend, I know what I'm doing," Gunther replied. Popping the flask's top off he poured the solution into the man's chest. Seconds later the Hoshidan jolted up with choked screams and spasms, causing Jagen to have a freak out and to cast stares in every which direction; as deep as his bond was with his rider, he often wished that he were a little less merciful and more pragmatic, not wanting him to get in serious trouble. Next to Jagen the other Hoshidan came to and found the horse's face in his own, yelping and backing away. Jagen closed in and told him to shush like a horse could, looking back to the man's partner to convey the situation properly. This left the Hoshidan confused. "There you go," Gunther's voice came. The wound he inflicted on the archer was gone, and said archer sat up as carefully as he could.

"Whaarrrggghhh…Huh? _You—!_ "

"Relax," Gunther said. "I've no further reason to fight you."

"…Say what?"

 ** _Theme: Homesick (Darkness)_**

"I may live to regret this, but it's shameful to waste another's life like this. I've little time to dawdle here, so I suggest that you find a place to hide."

"W-Why should I trust you? You just tried to kill me—"

"And yet I didn't. I have my orders but my superior never has to know, so long as you hide away someplace safe."

"But—"

"Take this opportunity to see another day when it's presented to you."

"I…but I can't just abandon my armsmen like this! If they are to die, then I must die with them. If you're going to kill the others, you may as well kill me too."

"Do you have a family back home to return to?" Gunther sharply asked. The archer of course had a family in Hoshido praying for his survival, a daughter and a wife. His eyes fell from the thought dying out in the bad lands and leaving them to fend for themselves. "I'll take that as a yes. Unlike some others I know, I can't stand the thought of killing others in battle simply for being on different sides, least of all those with others to return to. Now please, we're in the middle of something and I'd hate to be seen standing around like this. If my mistress were to see me here, it would make it very inconvenient for me to spare an enemy." The two Hoshidans shared a look of agreement between each other before turning to the great knight. With their minds made up they took their weapons with them and hightailed it out of the area. Gunther didn't get the chance to heal the other archer but he didn't fatally wound him, and when he couldn't see them anymore he returned to his horse ready to patch up his leg.

"Sorry for the long wait old friend," Gunther said. "I hope that wound of yours hasn't festered." Jagen stubbornly tried to convince Gunther that it was just a flesh wound, but trying to stand proved otherwise. "For a horse older than me you certainly are a feisty one, but who am I to talk for someone of my age? Now stop trying to muscle your way through this and let me treat you already." In a huff Jagen sat back down, sticking his leg out for Gunther to pour his trademark concoction into. "There you go, and now to bandage it up." He quickly ripped out a part of his waist cape and tied it around Jagen's leg, tight enough to keep from coming undone but loose enough to not be very constrictive. "Just let me know when that leg of yours heals up enough so we can get going alright?" The old stallion gave a much more grateful whinny, and with nowhere else to go Gunther sat against his horse to rest up with him for a moment.

"You know, I'm very grateful for you always standing beside me Jagen. I know that I don't always do things you like and that you only want me to be safe, but many times I can't help doing the things I do. For you to put up with me for all these years is very comforting. I hope that you know that." Jagen gave a sarcastic snort in response to that; _someone_ had to look out for Gunther after all, and who better than his own horse? But being honest and as much as he complained about it, he'd do the same things his rider did. He let the calm moment capture him for a spell, leaning his head upon Gunther's shoulder. "Now don't start getting soft on me; we still have work to do in a little." Jagen laughed at the thought of him being the soft one but kept his head where it was, and Gunther kept where he was. Little did the pair know, they were being watched by a shady pair of eyes leering at them.

"So that's where they're hiding…That's right, rest on up and enjoy your time with each other…it'll be your last…"

* * *

 ** _Theme: Nariko Nanba/Sonic the Hedgehog – Kingdom Valley ~ Lakeside_**

Further south in the Bottomless Canyon, Corrin and Felicia were stopped by another cliffside. The princess stood at the earth's edge and charged up energy for another bridge. Just then she noticed more Hoshidan soldiers in the trees on the other side of them, all of whom expectantly stared her way.

"That's a lot of soldiers…" Felicia muttered.

"Don't worry Felicia," Corrin said, "we can handle them with no issue." With her Dragon Vein done charging up power, the princess released it in a blast of sand, stretching the earth out like clay beneath her to form her second bridge. Despite doing this, none of the Hoshidan soldiers were in any hurry to rush at her like she expected them to.

"They're not moving Milady…I think they have a trap waiting for us."

"Of course it's a 'trap' for them to be waiting for us in the woods. But oh well, let's go 'spring' it for them then. Hang on tight." Hoping to catch the Hoshidans off guard, Corrin pawed the ground like a bull ready to charge while Felicia gripped her tightly. The Hoshidans faltered a little from the beast galloping toward them but Mozu held his ground.

"Get it together men!" the ninja shouted. "We face our most deadly adversary yet but we must not let Hoshido down, so toughen your stances!" The men only felt their knees almost fail them when Corrin approached with great speed; Felicia on the other hand could feel her stomach churning for the second time that day. When the princess reached her enemies she came to an abrupt stop, quickly sweeping out wide with a tail swipe. She almost caught the soldiers in her attack and tore through the bark of several trees, but it didn't deter her. A yumi samurai still recovering from dodging was smacked into a tree, felled from the harsh blow to his head. Angered at the loss of a teammate, another archer shot at Corrin but was met with silence from the arrow missing, and a katana samurai's own attack ended similarly. Retaliating with a horizontal horn slash to the katana samurai, Corrin had barely noticed how Felicia steadily loosened her hold on her.

"You okay there Felicia?" the princess asked.

"Y-Yeah," the maid replied. "I-It's just a little upset stomach is all."

"Okay then…" Knowing that it was more than a "little", Corrin was careful to not move as much or as fast. Another arrow flew at Corrin or rather at Felicia, and the former quickly raised flicked her tail to deflect the attack. "You…!" Angering rather easily, the half-dragon charged at the culprit and impaled him on her horn, hoisting him up and flinging him aside. That's when Corrin heard an ill belch from Felicia.

"Uh-oh…"

"Hey, do you need me to set you down?" Felicia didn't answer and another arrow was aimed her way. That's when Corrin knew that the Hoshidans were targeting her weaker partner, and thinking her to be sick the princess considered pulling out for the moment. Quickly turning on her hind legs she galloped towards the nearest exit.

"Pursue them!" Mozu ordered. "Don't let either one escape!" The archers complied and gave chase after Corrin. She soon made it out of the forest areas but found a distressing sight: three pegasus warriors were waiting for them with iron naginatas in hand. Just catching up to her were the archers, iron yumi in hand poised to fire at will. Behind the fliers she spotted a fortress, but didn't have enough room to get past them. Know realizing what sort of hands she played into, she folded her wings around Felicia and prepared for the assault.

"Come Hoshidan pawns, do your worst!" Corrin challenged. Keeping her eyeless face on both sides she waited to see who would strike first; the archers looked quicker on the draw and Corrin remembered something vital from her dream. Trying her luck, she zoomed toward a pegasus warrior and attacked, missing the Hoshidan and hoping to goad the others to attack a recovering foe. No arrows came forth but the archers closed in, falling into her ploy. She quickly lashed out her tail as she did before, this time catching one of them and flinging them off of the bridge before moving on to a pegasus warrior. Only two archers remained, and in a state of fury one of them shot at Corrin. The princess sensed the projectile heading her way, dodging in the nick of time and watching it pierce through the flier. The Hoshidan lost her balance and fell off her mount, but before she could get to her feet she was swept off the bridge into the abyss by Corrin's tail. The archer that shot at Corrin looked on in horror at what he had done.

"Dude, watch where you fire that thing next time!" the other archer scolded.

"I—but…" A scream brought the bickering pair out of it; one of the two remaining fliers was slashed across her leg and clutching her mount for dear life. Her teammate shot out at Corrin but kept herself high up to avoid another accidental arrow; this let Corrin duck underneath her and run past the two fliers to escape.

"Crap, she's getting away! Catch her!" The injured pegasus warrior stayed behind while the other one gave pursuit, but not before one of the archers tossed her a vulnerary to use. Flying as fast as she could, she wasn't prepared for when Corrin suddenly stopped running.

"Get off, quick!" Corrin whispered to Felicia. She opened her wings and the maid let go of her as the princess crouched down, sliding off of her mistress. Corrin then leapt at the incoming enemy with her claw outstretched, grabbing the warrior and slamming her mount to the ground hard as she found footing on it. With her opponent beneath her, Corrin considered how to finish her off, a moment of weakness coming to her.

"Helplessly pinned down by your natural predator…" she began, "and to think that humans rule the world." At first fear was the only thing the Hoshidan felt but her anger over her slain comrade took over, and remembering that she still had her iron naginata in hand she quickly tried impaling the dragon above her. It didn't cut her deep but it did slight her captor, and her anger was replaced by fear once again. "Ooh, so you like to play rough, do you? Well, two can play that game…" Right before she could jam a horn inside, the image of Xander's and the others' frowning faces came to mind, as well as what her siblings told her.

' _We want you to grow as a princess of wisdom, compassion, and mercy toward others no matter who it is…'_

' _No one should act like that, and I wish that Father hadn't grown into that kind of person nor try to impart any of that into you…'_

' _You gave us your word that no matter how much you despised the Hoshidans' actions that you would not allow such powerful feelings of hatred to fester and overcome your better judgement…'_

Her claw loosened its hold on the Hoshidan, slightly backing away from her. She was so close to torturing another Hoshidan so soon after leaving the company of her siblings. Was she really this weak-minded and insincere? She had given her word twice, and she was not about to go back on it a second time and disappoint her siblings. Her father, however, demanded that she eliminate her enemies, and with that she made up her mind.

"Milady, look out!" Felicia's voice came. Before Corrin regained her bearings, Felicia dashed out from behind her and stabbed her iron dagger into the pegasus warrior who was preparing to jab her mistress in the neck. This killed the woman very slowly, her nervous system going dead over a matter of seconds from the stab between her eyes. Corrin paid no attention to the fallen enemy who would have attack her, rather Felicia who found it difficult to stand again. Corrin could detect more Hoshidans on their way over, so she hurriedly carried Felicia to the inside of the fortress. Once inside, she sat the maid down on her back.

"Felicia, what's wrong?" Corrin asked.

"I…I don't know…" Felicia answered. "I think breakfast made me sick…more than I already was…"

"You're _sick?_ Why didn't you tell someone about this?"

"I told Flora and my father after I left, and they wanted me to stay home, but His Glory…he wanted me to go with you…" Corrin's father knew Felicia was in ill condition but sent her out anyways, or did he even know about it? Surely he must have noticed her before he entered the mess hall.

"Found you!" a voice shouted. Corrin looked around and found the three remaining Hoshidans ready to attack.

"Crap!" In a huff the princess positioned herself over Felicia, taking the two archers' projectiles in each of her forelegs. The pegasus warrior shot out with her naginata, getting the weapon jammed between Corrin's antlers. The two yumi samurai dashed around Corrin to aim at Felicia better and she couldn't shake the pegasus warrior off her, taking a kick to the face when the Hoshidan leapt off her mount. This exposed the maid to attack from one side, and no time was wasted in getting a hit in from one archer.

"Hrk!" Felicia had been hit in one of her legs, killing off any chance of standing soon. Corrin noticed her pain and whipped her neck out with the pegasus warrior still clinging to her weapon. She flung the Hoshidan off the weapon between her antlers and into one of her comrades, and that's when one of the two archers got bold; he ran up to Corrin and feigned an attack, jumping on top off the dragon princess before leaping off. Still upside down he shot at Corrin, nicking her in her back and forcing her to crouch lower over Felicia. He prepared another one but Corrin whipped out her tail, snagging him along the spines at the end of it and tossing him into a wall near his allies.

"Goddamned _pests!_ " Corrin snarled. She was starting to lose her cool and found rage clouding her mind, and in her haze she didn't realize that she was far too close to Felicia, smothering the small girl below her large frame.

" _Agh! M-Milady, please‼"_ Felicia wheezed out to deaf ears. _"You're crushing me‼ Please, get off, get off, GET OFF‼"_ Acting on instinct Felicia tried getting her mistress off herself, but while she intended to merely punch her in her sides she forgot that she still had her dagger in hand, and she also should have paid attention to where she would hit Corrin.

" ** _ARGH, FUCK‼"_** Corrin cried out from Felicia's dagger getting through her torso's softer skin, lunging out of the way and ready to maul the surprise-attack perpetrator to kingdom come. She saw Felicia, haunted-looking and still holding her bloody dagger, and realization hit Corrin; she was crushing her own vassal to death, prompting her to stab her to save her life. "Oh my God…" The maid was still trembling and nearly unresponsive, and much to Corrin's bad luck the Hoshidans were coming to, taking a stab from Felicia had weakened Corrin though, feeling herself grow heavy and frail. " _Shit‼_ Hang on, I'll get us out of here!" Now the Hoshidans were pissed and slowly stood to their feet about ready to kill. When one archer drew an arrow at the escaping pair, hooves from afar could be heard.

"It's not your time yet!" Gunther shouted as Jagen stormed inside the fortress. He thrust his lance at the attacking archer, piercing through his ribs and lungs. The remaining Hoshidans both took a stab at Gunther, but neither of their attacks had any effect. Jagen spun around on his hind legs while Gunther swung his lance outwardly; he caught the second archer by his throat and barely missed the pegasus warrior's face. He took care of her quickly though, jamming his lance through her skull with a second turn. With the three Hoshidans dead he turned to his comrades, finding a bleeding Corrin holding a still frozen Felicia. "M-Milady, what happened here?"

"I almost crushed Felicia and she…struck me to get me off…God, I almost killed her…"

"Don't move, I've got my potion on me." Gunther quickly hopped off of Jagen and brought out the last medicine flask he had. He found Corrin's wound and poured the salve onto his hands before rubbing it in; the princess hissed from the touch but she remained in place. Felicia was still stuck in a daze even after Corrin sat her down, and after yanking the arrow from her and applying his salve Gunther did what he did best. "Stand firm, soldier!" he shouted. As he hoped, Felicia jumped up in a start albeit screaming and looking frantically around her with her dagger drawn.

" _Who?! What?! When?! Where?!"_

"Felicia, calm down! It's us!"

"H-Huh?!" It took her a while to recognize Gunther and Corrin, but she calmed down once she did. The same couldn't be said about her stomach, and the pain in her leg forced her to the ground and she ended up retching in front of her comrades.

"Felicia, pull yourself together," Gunther said, this time quieter to not give the girl a heart attack.

"*cough* Muhhh…alright…"

"Gunther, please," Corrin started, "let her rest for a while. She wasn't feeling good before coming out here." Gunther gave her a stare of disbelief but knew that his mistress would never let an ailing vassal out to battle. That left only one person responsible for Felicia being out there.

"Was your father aware of this?" the man asked.

"I'm not sure…"

"Hrrmm…I suppose that she's been through enough for today. The same could be said about you Milady."

"What? But, I'm fi—" Right as if on cue Corrin's legs almost gave way, prompting the elder knight and horse to run up to her side.

"Easy, Milady, you need to relax until the pain completely dissipates. Allow me to lead us in combat for the time being."

"Fine."

"You may also want to change back into your human form. You'll put too much stress on your arms like that."

"But, who's going to carry Felicia?"

"I will. I may not be able to cover her as good as you can, but I'll be damned to let an ally die on my watch, and you need your rest anyhow."

"Alright." Corrin couldn't sense her dragonstone but she tried focusing her mind on her original form while suppressing the draconic power within her. She slowly began changing shape from beast to (wo)man, losing her bestial features and seeing a return to human form in little time. Her swords were still in the same places she had them sheathed before transforming, and her dragonstone was in her hand as it was before changing shape.

"Just like that, everything's back to normal."

"I guess so…" Corrin's arms and chest still hurt from the arrows but at least the wounds were closed. Gunther motioned for Felicia to climb aboard Jagen while Corrin stuck to the side of the veteran duo.

"Just tell me where we need to go Milady."

"We need…to go Eastward. I made a bridge and there's another fortress that some ninja was occupying."

"Sounds like where we need to go rather than where we sent Ghans. Stay close by but not close enough to be in enemy range, alright Milady? And Felicia, hold on just a little longer. We'll be home and then you can finally get your rest." The girls nodded as Jagen and Corrin sped off to face Mozu. Said ninja was alone, wondering what happened to the reinforcements he was to receive.

"Where _is_ everyone?" he wondered aloud. "I hope they aren't picking fights with the Nohrians right now, we really need to regroup. Wait, I hear something." The man moved from his spot to peek through the forest for any sign of his troops, but the sound he caught was not that of footsoldiers. Gunther burst through the woods with his javelin in hand, followed by Corrin with her levin sword drawn. That moment was when Mozu knew that he was simply screwed, but to his credit he didn't act like it. "So, you've finally made it. The name is Captain Nikuya Mozu, proud ninja defending the Bottomless Canyon's borders into Hoshido. I hope you Nohrians know what you've just done…"

"We do," Gunther spoke. "We've killed all of your men and reinforcements, and we are about to claim this land in the name of the Kingdom of Nohr. Surrender and we may spare your life; fight us and risk death."

"I'll take that chance. I refuse to surrender to the likes of you cowards, attacking us and breaching our peace treaty."

"What peace treaty?" Corrin asked. _'The others never mentioned anything about a peace treaty with Hoshido before…'_

"You seriously don't know the peace treaty your king co-signed with Queen Mikoto after the killing of Queen Ikona by one of his concubines, or are you just playing stupid to justify this barbarism?" This clearly confused Corrin who had never heard of a peace treaty between the two kingdoms. Coupled with the export/import trade system the other Hoshidans mentioned earlier, this gave Corrin a whole slew of new questions she'd have to ask her father about once she finished up with her task. "I hope that you group of three still have enough strength to at least put up a fight after all of my men that you slaughtered, else I'd be disappointed."

"We have more than enough power to defeat you," Gunther said, "hence the warning I gave you earlier. As a veteran knight in the service of the Army of Nohr, I hereby challenge you in combat, Captain Nikuya."

"Formality won't save you from me…" Mozu snarled.

 ** _Theme: Nariko Nanba/Sonic the Hedgehog – Kingdom Valley ~ Water_**

In a snap he vanished into thin air, faster than any of the Nohrians could see and hiding in the trees. A second later, Corrin felt a flick of air headed her way and dodged forward on reflex. Mozu reappeared behind her with his iron shuriken, missing her by a hair but not leaving himself wide open to attack. Before Gunther could run him through he vanished again, leaving the Nohrians on the lookout once more.

' _Again with this disappearing trick?'_ Corrin groaned. _'Damnable ninjas…Think Corrin; he couldn't have simply poofed into thin air.'_ The princess thought back to her previous fight with Suzukaze, trying to find a pattern in the ninja fighting style; both were stealthy and preferred to attack from a distance to avoid retaliation. When she heard a shuriken fly her way she immediately ducked while darting off in the direction the weapon was thrown, catching Mozu as he was recovering from an airborne shuriken toss. The ninja was light enough on his toes to evade a slash from Corrin, but he wasn't so quick when trying to find a spot to hide.

"No you don't!" Corrin shouted as she chased after the ninja. As he hopped away from her he flung a shuriken at her every four trees he jumped from, a bad move on his part. Recognizing the pattern very quickly, when he threw his fourth shuriken at her Corrin had switched from Ganglari to her levin sword and fired a lightning bolt at him. The magical bolt caught his calf right before he could leap out again, causing him to slip from the branch he was standing on and plummet to the ground. Right as Corrin closed the distance to end him Mozu tossed his iron shuriken at her, getting her to block the incoming projectile with her arms.

"Got you!" Mozu proclaimed, snatching Corrin and forcing her down in a scissor takedown, fighting through the searing pain in his own leg. He pulled out another shuriken to throw until he heard hoofs barreling his way, backing off Corrin as fast as he could with an injured limb. Gunther had come into the fray and tried to stab at Mozu, missing him by a large margin even when the other man was somewhat crippled. When he tried retaliating though, Felicia threw her own iron dagger from sitting behind Gunther into Mozu's abdomen, catching him by surprise.

"Gah!" The ninja yanked the dagger out from him and instantly felt the weakening effects of the weapon settling in. _'What is this? Is that Nohrian girl a ninja too or what?'_ Bringing him back to reality was Corrin charging at him with an overhead slash, raising his own vambrace blades to guard the blow. Flashbacks of a similar encounter in her dreams rang through Corrin's head, and with Mozu's abdomen unguarded the princess kicked him as hard as she could, leaving him wide open for another attack.

"I've got you now!" Gunther said. He tried to stab at Mozu again and struck true this time, impaling the ninja's chest. The man stumbled backward from the fatal blow dealt to him, landing with his back against the fortress's old gate and with the Nohrians closing in on him. Mozu would refuse to let a Nohrian defeat him, pulling out a thin sheet of parchment with ancient Hoshidan characters inscribed on it.

"I can't let you filthy cowards take my life…" Mozu rasped out with blood in his mouth. "To die like this would disgrace my countrymen, and so a ninja performs his final duty in life…" He took his shuriken and slashed it against the parchment, igniting it into a bright flame with the force of the cut. Wrapping the parchment around the shuriken, the ninja jammed the weapon into himself and simply waited until the flames completely engulfed him.

"Look out milady!" Gunther warned. Corrin and her retainers backed away from the increasingly intense fire Mozu had set on himself, watching as the flames consumed the man from afar.

"You may have won this day, but we will have our justice in due time!" Mozu proclaimed. "Beware Nohrians; you have just committed your greatest atrocity yet! Remember this day when you meet your ends!" With the last words spoken the man's body began crumbling apart like the last of firewood into ashes. Soon the man was no more than dust to blow away in the wind, and his death heralded the Nohrians' victory.

"Huh. I thought that he would be more of a challenge than Suzukaze was, but I was wrong," Corrin said sounding somewhat disappointed. "If only we had more soldiers with us to guard this place now that we have it under our control. Oh well, we'll simply request guards to station here when we return to Father." Though she didn't look like it outwardly, she was very much bothered about what Mozu said about the peace treaty in addition to the trade system the Hoshidans mentioned. She didn't want to think it, but if what the Hoshidans said were true then there was something off about this entire invasion of Hoshido as much as she didn't like the Hoshidans.

"Is something bothering you, Milady?" Gunther asked.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing important…" the princess lied. She didn't know why she did seeing how Gunther could see through her like glass, so she relented somewhat. "Actually, it's about what we did here. Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"Whatever could you mean Milady?"

"I…I'll tell you a little more about it when we leave. Let's head inside the fortress and inspect its condition; it could very well be worn and old given its appearance."

"Sound idea." Stepping through the old gate, the trio of Nohrians found the inside of the fortress rather decrepit but in some state of functionality. Its design was Hoshidan from entrance to interior, and just looking at it reminded Corrin of the people she detested so much, but she had to force those feelings out of her. As much as she believed the Hoshidans deserved it, she wouldn't do her family of vassals proud with her attitude (aside of Garon of course) so she forced the feelings down for the time being.

"How far are we from Hoshido?" Corrin asked while looking around.

"I'd say we're about a good day and a half until we're out of this region and into Hoshido if we travel by horse," Gunther answered. "Where we want to go – Shirasagi Castle Town – would be two and a half days from here by horseback as well."

Corrin remembered the name from her dream as the capital of mainland Hoshido, where Queen Mikoto and the other Hoshidan royals lived. It was likely where her brother also lived if he hadn't been kept away from the world like she was. "Kamui…"

"I beg your pardon Milady?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about my twin brother."

"You must really be thinking of him a lot eh?"

"Of course. I…only have some early memories of when we played together as young children. Nothing about anyone else comes up; it's just me and him as if we were the only ones. I wish we can find him soon…" As much hostility the two of them showed toward each other in her dream, Corrin wanted little more than to live happily with Kamui again, being the only company she could remember before being locked away by Garon for her own good. But if she could remember him clearly, why didn't she remember anything else as well? She couldn't remember her own mother at all, she never knew where the two of them were when they played, the names of their siblings and parents were completely omitted, and she didn't even remember her brother's kidnapping either, only knowing what her father had told her before putting her away in the Nohrthern Tower. How strangely selective her memory was being.

"I cannot agree with you more Milady," Gunther spoke. "Your brother was a bright young lad, and I can tell that he would be adored by all of your siblings, especially by your sisters. So fret not Milady, we will see him again soon."

"You're right…" Having looked at everything she thought was important, Corrin was about ready to leave the fortress and return home. "Well, this mission was quite the success; we have routed the Hoshidans stationed here and claimed this territory as ours, and now all that's left is to report back to Father and have him send soldiers to maintain this fortress. Are the rest of you ready to leave?"

"Very much," Gunther said.

"Yeah," Felicia replied.

"Good. I'd rather waste no more time here myself." With everything as it should be for the upcoming war, Corrin and her vassals left the old fortress and made their way to where they came from. Remembering what he had asked Corrin earlier, Gunther brought the subject back up to get some answers out of his mistress.

"I hope I am not intruding on particularly private issues Milady, but, would you care to tell me what has had you so troubled earlier?" the great knight asked. The princess had almost forgot about it, but she was feeling more willing to let her vassals know what was on her mind.

"I hope neither of you misunderstand me when I say this, but there is something about engaging in war against Hoshido that doesn't sit right with me…"

"How so?"

"The Hoshidans mentioned an export/import trade system that they planned to implement with us, and that Father never responded back about it."

"There was supposed to be some discussion about it, though His Glory had dropped the subject on it rather quickly and never brought it up again."

"And then there's the peace treaty that Father himself signed with Queen Mikoto. Is this true as well or is it a Hoshidan ploy to make us feel guilty for attacking them like this?"

"It is true. I myself wondered what had made His Majesty want to violate the treaty so soon. I fear that the infiltration of Hoshidan soldiers into Nohr has gotten him rather paranoid of Hoshidans spilling our blood in our lands. This is especially worrisome for him since Suzukaze and Rinka were the first and only Hoshidans who managed to make it into Nohr since the treaty was signed."

"That reminds me Gunther: did you ever manage to interrogate those two about how they got past the barrier?"

"Honestly, it had slipped my mind to do so. Forgive me for not gathering information out of them Milady."

"That's fine Gunther. I'm just glad that they won't be troubling us any further." Gunther refused to look Corrin in the eye when she said that, causing her to wonder if it was because of her brutal treatment rather than if it was because he let them go.

"Yes…they certainly won't be…Now let's hurry and be off this horrid bridge. I can't stand being on here a moment longer." The cryptic tone in his voice gave Corrin some unpleasant thoughts about the two Hoshidans' aftermaths but all of it was cut short, as when they were crossing the bridge to leave Ghans suddenly appeared before them.

"Don't you worry about a thing Gunther," Ghans spoke, "you won't have to stand there for much longer."

"Ghans? What is the meaning of this?" Gunther and Felicia were confused about the berserker's sudden reappearance after the last they saw him, long after the battle had ended. Corrin immediately tensed up and reached for Ganglari on her side, but the other two Nohrians hadn't their weapons drawn. Gunther motioned for Felicia to dismount and that's when Ghans spoke again.

"Less talk, more death."

 ** _Theme: Advance Confusion_**

The man ran straight for Gunther with an axe in hand and took a swing, only to be blocked by Corrin in the nick of time. "Huh? Princess, what are you—" He was cut off with a harsh slash across his torso, backing away from the trio.

"Take another threatening step toward my vassals and I will have your head brought before Father." Corrin warned, brandishing Ganglari the man's way.

"Gghk…! You don't know what you're doing princess! Stay out of this!" Ghans ignored her and simply sidestepped her the second time she tried to block him, taking another shot at Gunther. "'Bout time your old self retired anyhow!" Gunther deflected the attack with his swing but recoiled slightly from the force of the blow. Now realizing that Ghans was a definite threat to them, Felicia drew her dagger and flung it Ghans's way, but he dodged the projectile with ease. Corrin also attempted to close the distance and attack with her sword, only for her swing to be redirected and her momentum turned against her.

"Milady!" Gunther rushed over to Corrin to make sure she didn't fall from the bridge, and that's when he took a vicious axe to his back. He was too slow to avoid a second hit from Ghans, and his mount Jagen could feel the bridge beneath them giving way.

"Stop this Ghans!" Corrin bellowed. "As the second princess of Nohr, I command you to desist with this madness at once!"

"…Madness?" Ghans said. "Madness?" He stopped his attack to look at Corrin for a moment, apparently taking offense at her statement. "This isn't madness Milady…" he simply told her. He readjusted his stance from that of a warrior to a normal person to look his superior in her eyes. The others were wondering what was going through Ghans's head at that moment, and Corrin wished that she had seen his mouth flash the evil grin it did sooner. "This…is… _NOHR!_ " In a whirling movement Ghans took both of his hands and swung his axe into Jagen as hard as he could, slamming into the heavy horse with enough force to send him and his rider over the bridge's edge. If Corrin never knew horror before, this very moment opened her eyes to what it really was in a slow-motion like viewing. Her beloved vassal who was like another father to her was just sent over the bridge into the dreaded Bottomless Canyon right before her eyes, and Ghans had done this all with a smile on his face.

"Oh, my God…" Corrin muttered. She had so many emotions swirling inside of her as she looked over the edge of the bridge, and she steadily started losing herself in them.

"N-No…" Felicia nearly cried. How could someone turn on their allies so callously she thought. Gunther was such an influential person to Felicia when she first came to work for the royal family, teaching her how to refine her natural gift of combat skill and was a reassuring figure no matter how strict he was. She didn't want to believe that he was just flung over the side to his death, but she couldn't deny that she saw exactly that. Then Ghans turned his attention to her.

"Aw, did I just drop your babysitter into the ditch?" he mocked. "Here, I'll send you to the bottom to meet up with him, or what's left of him anyway." The berserker menaced a few steps toward the maid as she stepped away in fear, ignorant of the increasingly furious Corrin beside him.

"I knew you were nothing but trouble…" she whispered. Ghans didn't know who she was referring to, but after she rose to her feet and glared his way he knew he royally pissed her off.

"Listen princess, he—" The rest of the words died in his throat when he saw the princess: she had tears rolling down her face marred with rage as expected but something about her red eyes seemed unsettling to him now than before and her teeth were bared like a hound's while showing off inhuman canines to complete the look of a wild animal. If Ghans wasn't crazy, he could swear that Corrin's eyes were slit like a reptile's and that the air itself tensed up with Corrin's mood. For once, Ghans was worried about what was going on.

"I swear to God Ghans, you're a dead man…you're **_DEAD‼_** " That last word was spoken with a distortion in the speaker's voice and Corrin had reared back like a beast about to pounce, her face reminiscent of her dragon form's head. Though this made Ghans uneasy he wasn't so much where he wouldn't fight back; Corrin made the first move with a high jump and downward slash; and she moved with such speed that Ghans never saw it coming. Such power Corrin had now that the berserker was legitimately frightened, and that itself was a rare sight. Now scared for his life he swung at Corrin wildly, but he missed her when she simply jumped over the attack. The next thing he saw made his heart sink: Corrin's arm had somehow morphed into some grotesque lance, and in his shock he took a stab to his chest from it. Now his body burned with pain almost surpassing what he went through in re-habilitation, and he tried to fight back. The shapeshifting princess blitzed him before he got the chance to, taking an underhanded swipe up at him and forcing him to drop his weapon into the abyss.

"Arrrgghhh!" Ghans finally realized how much of a mess he was in; if only he took time to explain things to Corrin first before he acted, and maybe she wouldn't be attacking him. It wasn't too late for him to try, if Corrin was in the mood to listen to him. "P-Princess, hang on a second—"

" ** _You'll pay for this!_** " Corrin had no ears for Ghans now, and if Ghans thought that a lance-arm was horrifying then a dragon's mouth in place of a hand was eldritch by comparison.

" _What the…what kind of…freak…are you…?!"_ The gaping dragon's maw that was once Corrin's hand was building up a large volume of water in Ghans's direction. Seeing no other option, the man pressed his luck and simply opted to block it head on. Corrin let the large sphere of water loose his way, and he'd regret his decision to block the move; it hurt worse than anything else he took with raw power, and it left his body in a small bout of paralysis to boot. "N-No…This can't be happening to me…" He was in too much pain to stand to his feet, and from as far as he could lift his head he could see that Corrin was slowly making her way over to him. He tried his last attempt at reasoning things with the princess before things got worse. "H-Hang on a second, your highness…h-hear me out— _grk!_ "

"I should have never trusted you, contemptible vermin…" Corrin hissed as she hoisted Ghans up by his neck, dangling him over the very edge he sent Gunther over. "Father will surely have your head over this shameful act."

"A-Actually, he'd…he'd congratulate me for doing a job well done— _hngg!_ "

"You dare spit lies at me scum?"

"N-No…I-I'm serious. Wh-When everyone left, His Glory told me that G-Gunther had been helping criminals escape f-from the pits…L-Lord Shakespeare caught him doing it with those two Hoshidans you defeated…They ordered me to kill him here…"

"…What?" Corrin's grip on Ghans lessened slightly, almost dropping the man into the chasm and letting the truth of the matter die with him. As much as she wanted to kill Ghans, she needed to hear the whole story from her father first, and she'd make sure that Ghans was there as to give him nowhere to run.

"P-Please your highness…it's the truth. I swear on my beloved friend Jack the Axe that I'm not lying to you." Corrin didn't believe Ghans for a second, but something in the back of her head told her that he wasn't. She looked to Felicia who was all but spooked, almost as if she was looking for the maid's approval. Shaky as she was, the girl gave her mistress a slow nod, wanting to hear the entire truth from Garon too. With her mind made up, Corrin removed Ghans from over the edge and back onto the bridge, leaving him gasp for air. "Oh thank the Gods. You truly are—"

"Silence Ghans," Corrin sharply ordered. "I personally don't believe that you're telling the truth, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and take you to Father myself to hear what he has to say if only to be a fair princess. Until then, you are not to utter another sound until we have returned home. Am I made clear?"

"Y-Yes your highness…" Ghans stood as though Corrin would bind him, but she had another idea in mind. She took out her dragonstone and assumed her draconic forme, taking the berserker into a claw rather roughly while Felicia climbed atop her.

"I hope that you're found to be lying Ghans…" Corrin said, not to the man himself but rather to herself, that nagging voice still telling her otherwise.

* * *

 ** _Castle Krakenburg: High Noon_**

 ** _Theme: Raging Dark Winds_**

By the time Corrin had finished her mission, the other royal siblings barring Elise had long been done with theirs and were simply waiting for the second princess to return.

"Say, Lord Leon," Niles began, "any particular reason Corrin was locked up for all these years and just barely meeting everyone?"

"Father had Corrin isolated in the Nohrthern Tower as a precautionary measure against the Hoshidans who kidnapped our brother Kamui." the prince replied.

"Really now? I don't remember a 'Kamui' being mentioned much back then."

"Believe me, we never thought we had another brother or sister after Elise was born. But Father came to us one day and presented Corrin as the child he kept hidden from the other concubines during their infighting. He said that Corrin and Kamui were gentle yet frail children back then, and out of safety for them and their kind mother they were kept hidden away. Things got bad when one of Father's concubines killed Hoshido's previous queen, and when Corrin and Kamui's mother went to visit her sister who moved to Hoshido, their mother was killed out of revenge and Kamui was kidnapped. Corrin was almost kidnapped but Father stopped the Hoshidans and had her locked away ever since, at least until now."

"Huh. That's…" Niles would have said more but something told him to stop, or rather Pieri started freaking out at the dragon nearing the castle's entrance.

"Eeek!" the cavalry knight shrieked. "Scary dragon thingy approaching!" The warning had been given and the retainers brandished their weapons when the creature drew closer. The royal siblings would have done the same had they not recognize the creature, but much to their curiosity said creature held a berserker in a tight grip and was mounted by a small maid.

"Corrin, is something the matter?" Xander asked. It was then that he and the other siblings noticed the distinct lack of Gunther with the other three. "Where is Sir Gunther?"

"Go on, tell them what you told me," Corrin ordered, tossing Ghans out in front of the others. He looked like shit to be frank, but they couldn't bring themselves to care when Corrin implied that he had something to do with Gunther's absence. "Where's Father? I need him to clarify this."

"I am right here," the devil spoke as he entered the area. The moment his presence was known, Ghans practically tried to crawl toward him, but Corrin snatched him up in her claw to keep him from running.

"Tell them. Now." The berserker blurted everything out to prove his innocence and keep his life, hoping that he would be let go. While everyone present looked on with hatred for the man, Garon's face remained as stony as ever.

"Is that all you have to report to me?" Garon asked, directing his attention to Corrin. "What of the mission I had assigned to you? Have you completed it or not?"

"I…" Corrin was confused; she had just gotten Ghans to tell Garon everything he did and the only thing Garon said was whether Corrin did what he told her to do. She looked to her siblings who quickly conveyed to her not to keep their father waiting on an answer. "I have finished my assignment Father. The Hoshidans have been routed and the fortress is in weathered but functioning condition."

"That is all I need to hear."

"I…Father, if I may say one more thing—"

"Out with it then. I'm only here to confirm whether you were successful or not, and I have places to be right now."

"Did you truly order Ghans to kill Gunther at the Bottomless Canyon for letting prisoners in the pits escape?"

"Yes." That was all he said as he turned on his heel to leave, leaving Corrin and the others completely baffled.

"Wh-What? You…You mean you—"

"Did I stutter, child? I gave you my answer, and now I take my leave."

"W-Wait, Your Glory?" Ghans spoke up, quickly getting Garon into a bad mood at being held up.

"What is it _now_?"

"M-May I report something I discovered?"

"Make. It. _Quick._ "

"A-As I was regrouping with Corrin's group, I bore witness to Felicia stabbing the princess in her side as she was injured with Hoshidan soldiers surrounding her. Surely this is an act of treason, isn't it?" This earned the berserker a nasty look from Corrin and her siblings, and while Garon had a similar look it was directed at the maid in question.

"You did _what_ to _my child_?"

 ** _Theme: The Dim Abyss_**

Now with the heat having shifted from Ghans to Felicia, everyone was worried that Felicia was in for a swift execution.

"P-Please Father, allow me to explain—"

"I want to hear it from _her_ , not _you_. Felicia, is this true?" The way Garon glared at her made the girl want to piss herself, and though she knew the punishment for doing such a thing she wouldn't dare lie to her king. It _was_ taking some time for her to muster enough courage to tell him, resulting in an explosive response as the king's anger reached a peak. "ANSWER ME‼" he roared, scaring everyone else near him into standing at least a yard away from him. Tears running like a facet, Felicia confessed as honestly and loudly as she could.

" _It's true! I-I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I—"_ The only look Felicia earned from the king with her stammering and apologies was a hateful scowl that very much meant she was f*cked.

"F-Father, please—"

"ENOUGH‼" Everything was dead silent at the king's command, and Corrin only hoped that her Father would allow her a chance to explain the situation better. It wasn't meant to be. "Guards!" In a flash Garon was accompanied by two holy wyvern knights and two sorcerers who were ready to heed his command. "Strip this traitorous wench of her citizenship and cast her out into the wastelands!"

"Father, no! Let me explain—"

"All threats to the royal family must be punished! I will hear no more of this! Guards, do your duty!" Contrary to what he expected, the four Nohrians were rather hesitant to carry out their orders, looking between the pleading Corrin and her increasingly furious father.

"I…I mean not to disobey you, Your Glory, but—'

"Are you defying a direct order from me?!" the king snarled. "If you will not do as I ask, I will do it myself!"

" ** _NO‼_** "

"Corrin, stop!" Xander warned, having Camilla help him physically restrain the princess from doing something she would regret.

"Let me go! He's not listening to me!"

"Corrin, don't! He'll kill you for defying him! You're making the biggest mistake of your life!" Corrin tried as hard as she could to tear herself away from her siblings, to stop Garon from sending her vassal away and into the hands of the Hoshidans, to make sure she wouldn't come to blows with someone she loved dearly. It was too late; Felicia tried one last time to prove her innocence in the matter, but she couldn't get even a sound out as Garon nearly slammed Bölverk into her and cast his Nohrian sorcery. In a split second the maid felt as though something was violently ripped out of her, and just like that she was no longer a citizen of Nohr.

"For your treachery, you have lost your privilege to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Nohr. From this day forth you are not welcome here; leave, and never return…"

"P-Please Your Glory, I can explain…"

"What, you expect me to listen to whatever lies you cooked up? You have been banished, now _go!_ "

"But…I can—"

"You stand here still and continue to defy my orders?!" Felicia could not believe this was happening to her; her king refused to hear her side of the story about what happened, and out from behind everyone else she could swear that Ghans was grinning like kid who stole without getting caught.

' _That big, mean, stupid…doodoohead! I can't believe he'd do this to me! How can I explain to His Glory that I don't deserve this when he already—wait a minute, he exiled me. That means that I…'_ Her eyes met Garon's once more who expected her to leave as he instructed, and for the first time in her life Felicia felt this surge of boldness before the king. He may have intimidated her before, but now she wasn't going to put up with him anymore.

"Are you deaf, child?!" he barked out again. "As your king I order you to leave this place immediately!" Felicia didn't flinch this time; the response she gave was a simple—

"No." If any of the royal siblings thought Felicia might have made it out alive, they changed their minds in a heartbeat. Garon looked ready to burst, getting up close in the maid's face.

" _What._ Did you just say to me, little girl?"

"No."

"You would dare defy me, your king—"

"I don't think you've noticed, _Your Glory_ , that as a _non_ -citizen, I'm _not_ obligated to obey you, and you are not my king anymore. You exiled me, remember?" Garon only took a moment to realize that Felicia was completely right. He would have been furious, but even he had to slap himself in hindsight over what he just tried to do.

"Well played," the old king bit out. "That still doesn't mean I'm willing to listen to _you_."

"You don't have to have me tell you. Why not ask your daughter who was actually there to see what had happened?" For this instance, Garon had allowed himself a clearer mind and looked to Corrin for an explanation, improving everyone's mood.

' _Unbelievable…'_ Leon thought. _'She actually got Father to listen after he was pissed off with her? What in the seven hells allowed this to be possible?'_

"Corrin," Garon spoke now sounding a bit weary, "explain. Now."

"Gladly," the princess said. "Felicia was injured by Hoshidan soldiers so I took her to a fortress give her rest, and then we were ambushed by reinforcements. I used my dragon forme to shield her from the attacks but I hadn't realized that I soon began crushing her to death by mistake. She intended to punch me in my sides to get me off, but she had stabbed me by mistake not realizing that she was still armed. What Ghans told you was that she simply stabbed me, not why, and I can't fathom why he left _that_ part out." She shot a dirty look at Ghans who looked ready to split.

"Is this true, Ghans?" the king questioned. "Did you intentionally omit this detail when you reported to me?"

"Er, no, I didn't…" the berserker answered, but Corrin was having none of it.

"Tell him the truth…" Corrin hissed, "or _else_ …"

"I swear, I didn't forget to tell you! I-I wasn't there to see everything!"

"If you actually saw her stab me then surely you must have known why."

"I-I don't! Honest. Don't go berserk on me again, please!"

"Thank you for being honest, Ghans. I hope to expect more of that from you in the future."

"So Felicia stabbed you because you were about to kill her by mistake," Garon wanted to confirm.

"Yes."

"I see. And did she heal you after the incident?"

"No, Gunther did. Felicia had gone into shock from the crushing pressure of by body afterward. Felicia is at no true fault to this stabbing incident." Corrin felt so much better having finally gotten the truth to her Father, and by now he would surely realize his rather hasty judgement and undo the un-branding. Garon seemed to sigh in resignation and held his axe up high.

"You must expect me to rechristen Felicia as a citizen of Nohr," the king spoke. "And though she got wise with me, it was only so that the truth of the matter would be said. And I also suspect that Felicia will forget that this ever happened once I rechristen her and she will happily return to serving the royal family as she always had."

"Of course!" Felicia said, now having a positive outlook on her situation.

"I must confess; there is a truth to this matter I have not yet revealed to you." This left everyone confused, especially Corrin. What else could there be to the incident? She was there the entire time and knew what happened. Unless Ghans somehow relayed some other information to her Father that was likely false, there shouldn't be anything more to this. Unless – and she didn't want to think it – Garon was banishing Felicia for some other reason.

"I could care less why she did what she did," came Garon's "revelation". As fast as everyone's hopes had gotten up, they had sunk like a stone to the ocean's floor. "The very fact that she had stabbed you at all is grounds enough for her exile."

"…What?" Corrin could feel her temper begin to rise against her father for the first time; she had just explained that Felicia had made an honest mistake and would surely not have caused or left her in pain, and her father still refuses to take her vassal back in? What was going on through her father's mind? Xander had begun to feel this gradual rise in emotion from his sister, and knowing how Garon was with even his children the prince tried to calm her down however he could.

"Corrin, keep calm. At worst, Father will simply have her exiled, nothing more."

"But…he…"

"Corrin, we know. Trust us…we know…" That did little to ease Corrin's mind, and she wondered how long Garon had gone on acting the way he did.

"I…but, King Garon I—"

"That is quite enough," Garon said raising a hand to silence the perplexed girl. "Your side of the story has been told, and I will remember it, but it ultimately changes nothing. You are still exiled from this kingdom, and that is all that I will say on this matter."

"But…that's not fair!" Now Felicia was really losing it; what would she say to her father and her sister, "Sorry father, sorry Flora, I accidentally stabbed my mistress to save my life and I'm being kicked out of Nohr" would not be the last thing she would say to them.

"Wh-Where's my father, I want to speak with him!"

"I don't think you've noticed, Felicia, that as a _non_ -citizen, I am _not_ obligated to grant you anything, and you don't have the privilege to speak to anyone in this kingdom anymore. I exiled you, remember?" Felicia's heart sank from Garon's cruel use of irony: she used her status to get Garon to listen to her, yet he didn't care and is now using her status against her to deny her the chance to see her family. As fate would have it though, her father and sister were planning to visit her when she came back with Corrin.

"And here is the castle entrance, Chief Arendelle," Jakob said as he escorted.

"My word this castle is expansive," the Ice Tribe chief exclaimed. "We Ice Tribalists live in simple housing; I'd easily get lost in here."

"I've lived here for _years_ Father," Flora commented, "so imagine suddenly changing from a house to a—is that Felicia?"

"What?" There she stood with Garon opposing her and everyone else behind him. The scene didn't look pleasant, and they wondered why Felicia had the king directly before her outside of his throne room. Whatever it is, the chieftain had a bad feeling about it and tried to get his daughter away from the man.

"Your Glory?" Kylmä asked, "Has my daughter slighted you in any form? I apologize for that in advance; I'll have her home and properly disciplined for sterl—"

"That will not be necessary," Garon said cutting him off. "Felicia has been exiled for attacking my daughter out of self-defense in the middle of combat, therefore she has been stripped of her citizenship."

"What?! She's been…Your Glory, tell me that this isn't some cruel jest—"

"I never jest. She has been exiled. Simple as that."

"I…I can't…If I may, I can simply remove her from duty in the castle and relocate her to the Ice Tribe with me—"

"Your territory constitutes a portion of Nohr, and as her punishment for her attack she has been forbidden from setting foot in any Nohrian territory."

"This is outrageous! Your Glory, as a citizen of Nohr and her _father_ by blood I would ask you to relinquish my daughter unto me!"

"You will ask _nothing_ of me, chieftain," Garon said harshly. "You may be a citizen, but you are a low class one at that. And as per our agreement, I am granted authority to do with your daughters as I please."

" _We_ agreed to _nothing_ on that matter…" Corrin was wondering how much worse the situation was going to get, and with Felicia's family present this would go one forever until someone gave. "I refuse to let you keep my daughters anymore. Come Felicia, Flora, we are leaving at once."

"Yes Father," both girls said, and as Kylmä turned to leave he left Garon with one last word in edgewise.

"So you banished my daughter over something trivial? Fine then. I hereby relinquish _my_ citizenship, and Flora will cede hers as well. We'll simply re-establish ourselves elsewhere." To hear her two vassals being taken from her broke Corrin's heart after having already lost Gunther, and she could only look to Jakob – her last vassal. Garon, however, wasn't going to have anyone else have the last say on his decisions.

"You've no authority to cede your citizenship or interact with non-citizens, but if you are so brazen to go against me then I will simply punish you as well." With as much hate as he could muster, Garon held his axe before him and slammed it into the ground. A streak of white hot fire erupted from the crack, snaking its way to Felicia. Corrin could only scream before anyone else noticed it, and it was too late by then; the flames caught up with Felicia and combusted with great volume on impact, sending the girl flying forward and tumbling like a rag doll. Everyone recoiled from the horrific scene except for Ghans, and Corrin felt herself wanting to cry as much as the maid's father and sister wanted to. Garon was in no mood for any further foolishness and ordered his two holy wyvern knights to deal with the Ice Tribalists. "You; take this trash outside of our borders. And you; knock the other two unconscious and return them to their tribe. Do _not_ fail me a second time." The knights didn't want to do it but they feared Garon too much to end up like the maid, so the first wyvern knight scooped her up onto his mount while the other one rushed Kylmä and Flora before they could react. Away into the air Felicia went, and down on the ground her family went. With everything taken care of, Garon finally made his way near the castle interior, motioning Ghans and his two sorcerers to follow him for an implied execution for the latter two. Before he disappeared, he left Corrin one last message.

"Those who threaten the royal family must be dealt with, no matter who it is: the lawless who threaten our order, the monsters who threaten our peace, and the traitors who threaten our honor. Remember this well my daughter, else you will meet a swift demise in this world."

Left outside to gather their thoughts, the royal siblings and their vassals tried to calm their nerves after what just happened. Corrin just couldn't understand how her Father could be so uncompromising and without mercy; three of her vassals were gone on his command, and even when she vouched for one of them it didn't do anything. She had barely left the Nohrthern Tower today, and at about high noon her image of her father was all but almost shattered. The man she thought was a fair and reasonable king was a man who had a nasty temper and lack of tolerance for questioning him in any fashion. She thought a good king listened to their people first and foremost like Xander had told her, and it honestly made her want to cry.

"I am so sorry that this had to happen to you, sweetie," Camilla finally spoke. "Father is a very difficult man…We've known this for a long time…"

"You never said he was this difficult…" Corrin half sobbed. "Why…?" The princess didn't know if she was asking why Garon was the way he was, why her siblings whitewashed how he was, or why everything she did to keep Felicia from getting exiled backfired on her and got Flora in trouble too.

"We…We didn't want you to have an overall negative impression of him," Xander answered. "Father is not the same man he once was, and I'd hate for others to think that the way he is now is all there ever was to him. Perhaps we should have told you from the start."

"How long was he like this?"

"Ever since some time when the horrible infighting with his concubines had ended and when Kamui was kidnapped afterward, almost right after Elise was born."

"That's about right up to when you turned eighteen today," Leon said. "Pretty long time if you ask me."

"You mean that…Elise has had to deal with this her entire life? The poor girl…"

"He's the only father she knows, and maybe that's why she's taking this much better than us."

"We honestly wish these cruel acts surprised us," Camilla noted sadly. "Maybe we'd be more hopeful that we could somehow change him back into the wise, brave, and compassionate man he used to be."

"We've had no such luck changing him in a slight positive manner," Xander said. "It only seems as though he grows more bitterly cold, and not just toward us but toward others as well. We may be asking a lot from you sister, but don't forget what it means to be a royal of Nohr. The Father we spoke on about so lovingly to you all these years? Keep him alive in what you do, cherish the lessons he gave us and that we have passed on to you and Elise, pray that you and Elise may never have to do the things we've done to survive this hellish place, and always remember the most treasured Nohrian belief: perseverance."

Over the pain of having three of her dear vassals taken from her in a single day of newfound freedom, Corrin wondered how torturous it must have been for her siblings to have to deal with their father for so long, and it didn't seem that there was a light at the end of that tunnel. She was about to ask her siblings for some solid advice for her to go on, but the king had reappeared from the interior's entrance requesting the royals' presences.

"Children, I have another assignment for each of you I want completed before this nightfall, and supper is prepared in the meantime. Corrin, I have a different assignment to give you, and I shall discuss it with you in private after you finish your meal." That was all he said before disappearing inside, and the others winced at how soon Corrin was to be deployed after the traumatizing experience.

"Let's go," Xander spoke up. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting."

"Goodness Corrin," Camilla said, "you've been granted freedom outside of the Nohrthern Tower just hours ago and Father _already_ has a private assignment for you. Lucky you." Corrin surely didn't feel lucky, more like she was being tormented for earlier.

"I know that look," Leon remarked, "you already don't feel like you're up to this right now, are you? Well, you gotta grin and bear it like we've been doing this whole time. You don't have much options to do otherwise." Corrin really didn't like when Leon left the discussion on a sour note, but that was to be expected after what happened today. Her head held high despite the bad air, and while she hoped that things wouldn't be as stressful afterward she had a feeling that it was otherwise.

* * *

 ** _Plains of Hoshido, High Noon_**

 ** _Theme: Egdelwonk_**

"Man, how much longer do we have to go…?" Odin whined. "Couldn't we have flown there instead?"

"Wyverns would have given us away if the Hoshidans knew that Nohrians were attacking them," Selena said. "And quit complaining; we'd have been there sooner if you weren't busy getting us lost with your 'Odin Dark Magic Stone' horse plop."

"I was not!"

"You were too!"

"I. Was. _Not!_ "

"You. Were. _Too!_ "

" _Enough_ , _both_ of you!" Laslow scolded. "You _did_ get us lost in the first-place Odin, but it's doing no good starting petty arguments over it Selena. Less bickering and more getting where we need to be." Both Selena and Odin grumbled in response but they kept quiet afterward. "If we're lucky we should be reaching a Hoshidan border guard outpost soon, then maybe some of the guards can ferry us to the capital."

"Pfft, sure," Selena scoffed. "Hoshidan border guards aren't so trusting to readily accept just about anybody who comes knocking at their door. Trust me: I've worked with some a few years back and they are _paranoid_ about shady people crossing over."

"Really? If Mikoto's barrier protects Hoshido from all violent intent against it, then what's the reason for the suspicion?"

"Non-violent spies like us trying to get rid of the barrier."

"Oh."

"I hope you two brought your 'identity documents' with you."

"Of course," Odin said. "Got mine right here!"

"Mine's in my shirt," Laslow said.

"Mine too," Selena said.

"At least we're all on the same page here." The trio continued for another several miles in the open lands, getting closer to their rivaling kingdom. High in the sky, the sun was better seen without Nohr's dreary clouds shrouding it away, and with Laslow's keen eyesight he could spot what looked like a Hoshidan border guard outpost up ahead. A few minutes of getting closer to it, a person's body could be made out on the ground. "Heads up guys," Laslow warned, slowly walking up to inspect the body; closer inspection revealed it to be a young girl, passed out and curled up on the ground with dried tears on her face. Her maid clothes were tattered and burned from what seemed to be magic, but what gave her identity away was her orange-brown hair. He knew who this maid was much to his shock, and it was the last thing he expected to see so far away from home. "Felicia—?"

" _Felicia?_ " Selena exclaimed. Worried, Odin and Selena ran up Laslow to check if the maid was okay. "Oh my God, what _happened_ to her?"

"I don't know…" Laslow knelt to search her body for anything useful, earning a "Hey!" and a slap to the back of his head from Selena. "Ouch! What was that for?!"

"What do you think YOU'RE doing running your little fingers all over her for?"

"I'm just checking to see if she has anything on her; I swear that it's not what you think!"

"Hmph, yeah right." Ignoring her Laslow continued his search; he found her person completely vacant. No money, no food, no combat equipment, absolutely nothing. Fearing the worst, he searched for her pulse for signs of life; to his relief she was still alive but to his horror she wouldn't last another day.

"She's not going to make it soon…"

"What?!"

"She's only got a day left before she expires. Quick, somebody hand me a flask."

"Um, yeah, about that," Odin sheepishly started, "since we weren't going to be doing any combat we didn't pack up any combat gear, healing equipment included." Laslow could not have possibly mustered a more disbelieving stare even if he tried, looking between an embarrassed-looking Odin and an impatient Selena respectively. A flat "what" was the only response his brain could come up with.

"The Hoshidans would've known that we're Nohrian if they saw our weapons!" Odin lamely tried to explain. Laslow simply took a deep breath to keep himself from going off at everyone's complete lack of foresight.

"…Apparently I'm the only one who took the Hoshidan weapons I had from Hoshido with us, though this is equally my fault for not thinking to grab some medicine before we left. Try to catch me if I seem to do that in the future."

"Erm, right."

"What are we still standing around here for?!" Selena shouted. "Felicia's dying and we're wasting time! C'mon, let's take her with us!"

"Right." Laslow scooped the maid up into his arms and the trio resumed their journey to Hoshido. Laslow hoped that they would make it in time as Odin was kicking himself for forgetting his Hoshidan weaponry back home. Selena seemed more focused on how Laslow handled himself: infamous a flirt he was, he wasn't without some genuinely charming qualities, and she asked herself why he didn't show those qualities more often. His only problem was his often-crass philanderer's tongue, but beyond that was a woman's dream man.

"You know Laslow," Selena started saying, "you look like a real gentleman right now; here you have a lady in your arms and the only thing on your mind is saving her life rather than whatever it is you're usually thinking of doing with women. That's a welcome change to see from you."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah," Odin chimed in. "She's actually got a point; you seem like a much more tolerable guy than you usually are." The resulting scowl of disproval from Laslow was all it took to kill anymore backhanded compliments from Odin. "Sheesh, calm down man. You really are starting to take after Lord Xander, n-not that I mean that in a—oh, nevermind. Point is, you're a truly good guy. It just doesn't show too often."

"I—wow. Thanks guys."

"Don't get too comfy with me calling you that," Selena said. "I know you too well to say 'Gentleman Laslow' on a regular basis."

"Fine with me," Laslow laughed. "I'll just have to work harder to earn more of those lovely compliments from you."

"Don't push it." Continuing their journey a little more and with the subject of what they were going to do on their minds, Selena wondered how the other two felt about their mission from King Garon. It wasn't something she liked at all but she would carry it out if she had to. If she had to guess, Odin was very uncomfortable with it while Laslow didn't feel so strongly and treated it more as a necessary evil like she did. "…Say, what do you guys think about all of this?"

"What, finding Felicia out in the middle of nowhere?" Laslow asked.

"No, about what we're going to do when we get to Hoshido."

Laslow thought for a moment; this wasn't the first time he had to carry out a mission that involved someone's death whether directly or not, but something about this mission made him feel an unease he hadn't felt in a long time. They would contribute to a war that would invariably lead to much bloodshed, and there was no telling how events would unfold. The best he could do was to never forget why he was doing it and never forget the sacrifices that would be made.

"A part of me can't feel too bad about what we're doing," Laslow answered, "but another part of me says that something about this is so off that this shouldn't be happening."

"She reminds me too much of somebody else who was too good for bloody murder," Odin said. "I'm so glad that we weren't the ones given that task; I don't think I could bring myself to do that."

"Don't get to comfortable now Odin," Selena said. "For all we know His Glory may very well order us to kill her afterward. It's of small comfort that nobody else seems to be on board with his commands aside of Lord Shakespeare and that buff-looking axe guy whose name I can't care to remember."

"It's for the good of Nohr His Glory says," Laslow said.

"Since when did you guys start referring to King Garon as 'His Glory' even when he wasn't around?"

"Since years ago, Odin," Selena responded. "I'm surprised _you_ of all people haven't started calling him that in private either, let alone come up with some ridiculous name like you always do."

"I just…I can't really seem to find enough…er, creativity for that."

"It's fine. We won't ask you to if you don't feel comfortable." Selena and Laslow walked ahead of Odin who seemed to be worried for his friends.

' _Well they've certainly changed…Maybe living in Nohr for so long will do that to you…I just hope that they're still themselves in the end…'_


	8. Chapter 4a—Snow Warning

The Hoshidan Army's Special Forces responded to Mikoto's distress call quickly, traveling as fast as they could to reach her location without trying to wear themselves out. To drown out the nagging voice in the back of his head, Kamui struck up a quick question to see what kind of threat they were going up against; the others mentioned the Faceless rather scarcely, and with so many lives on the line he needed to prepare himself for them.

"Excuse me, Big Brother," Kamui began, "what exactly _are_ the Faceless? I've heard you mention them before but…"

"Simply put, they're murderous monsters," Ryouma answered.

"Monsters?" Kamui said. Ryouma could already hear his younger brother's thoughts: _I thought monsters weren't real_ he was likely to say and for good reason: Ryouma and Hinoka used to tell Kamui that monsters ate misbehaving children to scare the young prince into obedience, and it lasted for a good while until Takumi exposed the lie. Here he is years later telling his little brother that monsters are real after all, and it was with an ironic smile that he almost wished that it was the made-up ones they were dealing with instead.

 _'Irony couldn't have had a worse timing if it tried…'_ Ryouma thought with a small laugh, but he wasn't in much mood for humor so he returned to focus on his younger brother. "Kamui, do you remember the monsters that me and Hinoka used to warn you about? The ones that come in the night and devour misbehaving children?"

"Of course," the younger prince replied. "Didn't you two and Takumi say that they weren't real after all?"

"Yes, but the times like to change in funny ways: monsters are real, but these ones—the Faceless, are nothing like what we used to scare you with. They will kill anything that moves if they are given the chance; do not give them that chance, understood?" Ryouma knew that Kamui was usually a collected young man, but he needed to make sure that his younger brother knew just how serious the situation was. He didn't want to go through the pain of losing more people after his blood parents.

"Do you know where the Faceless are coming from?" Kamui asked, wanting to gauge the situation at hand since he was new to the Faceless rout.

"Does it look like we know?" Takumi replied in irritation. "By the time we're notified of a Faceless attack it's already underway, though we do know that they frequently target villages that don't have any soldiers of their own. If we can relocate some of our own troops to these villages without having the villagers think it's some occupation, it'll narrow down the amount of locations the Faceless will strike and maybe we can pinpoint where they seem to be coming from." Takumi himself had been pushing to have such a measure put in place but to no avail, leaving him sourer over the Faceless raids than most others. It didn't help that this time they were in a snowbound area; his Fūjinkyū made traversing through the terrain a joke for him, not to mention that he could simply use his dragon's vein to enhance his mobility, but the chill of the air often numbed his fingers and he didn't want to expend too much of his draconic energy to keep himself warm (if he could utilize it in the first place). The result was his already thin patience slowly eroding.

"If you ask me, I think it's a coward's ploy," Hinoka added. "The Faceless dissolve into gas when they die and don't leave traces of themselves on the bodies of their victims, leaving us nothing to investigate. Orochi always seems to be busy when this happens so this gets annoying fast. But, you know: the longer it takes us the figure these monsters out, the better I'll be kicking someone's butt when we find them, and you can't run or hide from me forever."

Kamui shared his sister's sentiment on the subject, and he wasn't afraid to fight monsters to protect innocent people. He'd gladly die for their sake if need be, so if anything this gave him the perfect chance to test the extents of his dragon's vein's power out in the wilderness. In the midst of their travel the group of soldiers had stopped cold in their tracks upon stumbling into a trail of mutilated Hoshidans leading further up north, some of which happened to be Flame Tribalists. The faint of heart couldn't stand looking at the scene, but Saizou—a grizzled soldier himself, knelt to inspect several of the corpses.

"The wounds are about three minutes old," Saizou concluded. "We're close by our targets." Hoping that someone or something was careless enough with the Faceless, he dabbed a special solution he made with Orochi's help to find out if there were traces of Hoshidan-rooted magic left on the victims. Said divine mage herself had studied nearly all forms of Hoshidan sorcery, and if she didn't recognize it then it likely wasn't Hoshidan.

"Well?" Kagerou asked. "Have you discovered anything new?"

"It's not Hoshidan magic, or at least not one Orochi would recognize," Saizou replied. "See how the agent is reacting to the victim's body? It only glows this color if Orochi isn't largely aware of the magic being used here. Thankfully I had enough foresight to bring this chemical with me before we headed out." Immediately upon inspecting the solution's color a bit closer however, Kagerou knew exactly what kind of magic they were dealing with.

"I've seen this color before," the kunoichi said. "It's Nohrian magic." The statement initially confused her partner so she went into greater detail about her findings. "The color here may look like it's an undiscovered form of magic, but the correct hue for that would be magenta rather than violet. There's also no traces gold near the edges of the solution if it was unidentified." Saizou had to take a closer look himself and found that Kagerou was right. That made the shinobi think back on what Kamui told him earlier: he knew how to get secrets out of the prince with his stern mien, but he didn't expect that the prince foresaw an attack on Hoshido from Nohr.

 _'Nohrian mages eh? Guess we'll see for ourselves soon enough.'_ Finished with his autopsy Saizou gave his liege the details on what he and Kagerou found; Ryouma was silent for a while, reflecting on all the information he'd acquired thus far.

 _'I should have known that this day was going to come sooner or later…'_ he thought bitterly. _'The Nohrians have killed our blood mother, kidnapped our second sister and killed my father after formally apologizing for the death of the former queen, and_ now _they're sending our kidnapped, brainwashed sister to kill our new mother in the face of our non-aggression treaty…I've had enough of this madness. We're not going to sit here as these cowards move in on our home and take over our fair kingdom. If the Nohrians are watching us here, then it's time we showed them that we're not taking any more of their bullshit.'_ The others could sense his powerful anger but kept to themselves, feeling that he didn't want to be disturbed. He allowed himself a moment of calmness to address his soldiers before he would speak to his succeeding brother about how things were escalating.

"Before we head off," Ryouma said, "does anyone have any strategies that they'd like to share?"

"Stick to each other in groups at _all_ _times_ ," Takumi spoke. "The Faceless will come at us full tilt once we enter their field of vision, so maintain a strong defense throughout. Those with the better bulk of their group should be the ones absorbing the blows from the Faceless, but that does not mean you should stupidly sit there and take their punches like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Everyone got that?"

"Sound idea Takumi." As soon as the third prince came up with the idea the retainers elected to guard their lieges, but if that were the case then Kamui had no one to defend him. He wasn't formally accepted into the military yet and thus had no retainers of his own, just happening to be close with its best members and sparred with them every week. Takumi—being the brains of the group, saw this coming a mile away and quickly thought up an alternative.

"You know what, I've got another idea," he said. "We'll be doing things a little differently this time: you guys all cover for each other and we royals will cover for Kamui. Think of it as him having four bodyguards to help him through this since he's not used to taking on the Faceless. And now that he's able to use his dragon's vein, Ryouma and Hinoka would be able to teach him how to use it properly, and the sooner he learns how to use it then the better thing will go for us, right?"

" _'Four'_ bodyguards you say?" Asama asked. "Am I to take it that Lady Sakura will _also_ be defending her older brother from the onslaught of the Faceless? My word, I never thought that she had it in her—or rather, this is a classic example of preserving the royal bloodline in case anything goes wrong? If we retainers die out here and you four royals live, then you can always find more retainers to serve you, am I right?" The remark had Takumi replay his own words for a bit, remembering that Sakura had not been accepted into the military either. He corrected himself in short notice but Asama took one last swipe at the prince before getting thwacked on the noggin by his liege. By now everyone was raring to go, but Kamui seemed lost in thoughts. His mind was usually clear, but it bothered him that he had no recollection of a Faceless attack in his dream. Put that together with the fact that his mother's life was at stake, the prince began to wonder if events could change if things were different by just a little bit. What if Mikoto was destined to die not at Shirasagi Castle Town, but in the frozen woods near the Flame Tribe settlement?

"Something wrong Kamui?" Ryouma asked, sensing his brother's distress.

"Huh? Oh, i-it's nothing important. I just…lost my nerve for a moment." Everyone knew whenever Kamui tried to hide something, and the two oldest royals wondered if it had to do with what Saizou told them back home before leaving. Hinoka passed Ryouma a worrying glance and the two of them pulled the second prince aside for a brief whisper.

 _"I think it's about time that we tell everyone about what you've learned from your visit with Orochi,"_ Ryouma said. Kamui was initially shocked and stumped that his brother knew, but his surprise faded believing that Saizou informed his eldest siblings when he told the shinobi about it himself. _"We finally know that Nohrians are behind these attacks, and the longer we wait to tell everyone about it the less time we'll have to prepare for the eventual invasion."_ Kamui had wanted to wait until after the whole incident blew over, but with the confirmed threat of Nohrian aggression looming over them there was no more time to waste. The army needed to know what they were going up against and what to expect afterward. His mind made up, Kamui walked up to the group of anxiously waiting soldiers and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention?" the prince asked. "I've got something really important to say." And just like that, everyone stopped to turn and listen; the other royals were proud of how much their retainers respected Kamui enough to pay attention when he spoke. "I probably should have told you all this sooner, and I apologize for this, but I paid Lady Orochi a visit earlier today to talk about this dream I've been having for the last couple of months."

"Wait, is this what you were talking about earlier?" Kazahana asked. "I was actually wondering when you were going to speak up about that."

"Yeah," Takumi chimed in. "If this is so important, how come you didn't talk to us about it the moment you got back from school so that we wouldn't waste any time standing here? If this is some really bad news, don't you think you should have explained it back home so that we'd have time to adjust to it first instead of dropping the bombshell on us at the worst possible moment?"

"Hang on for a second Takumi," Ryouma said. "Let him speak first before you start throwing questions at him. You may continue Kamui." The third prince nodded in response and went on to explain his prophetic dream in detail. Parts of it that he lingered on frequently involved his twin Corrin, including the parts where she murdered Mikoto at Shirasagi Castle Town's square and when she attempted to steal the Yato-no-kami blade along with the other divine Hoshidan weapons. Whether she was successful or not in stealing the Yato-no-kami was uncertain because the dream always ended then and there, or rather it stopped at an aqua-haired woman he didn't know singing a song he never heard before. To say that this was probably not the best of times to inform everyone about the dream was an understatement, as most of the soldiers had become beside themselves with a sense of new-found dread and worry. Takumi had to resist the urge to tell Kamui "I told you so" considering the group's dampened mood, but Ryouma would not let the atmosphere sour before their big battle.

"Men and women of Hoshido, listen up," Ryouma spoke. "Now is not the time for fear to take root in your hearts, now is the time for bold action! Now that we know what's ahead of us, are we going to march out there with terror gripping us—letting our enemy know that we're scared them, or are we going to march out there with the fury of a thousand men and let these cowards know we are sick and tired of this nonsense?!"

"This is where me make our stand!" Hinoka chimed in. "We've got the future in our sights, so let's go on out there and change the course of history!"

"I don't know about you all, but I'm just about ready to turn some Nohrian scum into my personal bull's-eyes," Takumi added. "If you have any reservations have fighting, cast them out of you right now because now's not the time for second guessing ourselves; we're out here to kick ass and take names. Do I make myself clear?" The Hoshidan army didn't need to be told twice that they were in for some serious throw downs, and from how confident the royals seemed despite the shocking revelation made it hard not to be a little inspired by them.

"Soldiers, let's move out! For the villagers and for our queen, we shall not fail!" Now having a clear vision of who their enemy was, the Hoshidan Special Forces' fortitude was ignited and they followed the trail of broken bodies to catch their targets in the winterwood. A four-minute march yielded the results they wanted; the Faceless shambled slowly toward their quarry further off, ignorant of the new challengers behind them. Looking at their hulking figures wasn't something Kamui nor Sakura were prepared to see, but it wasn't fearsome enough to get them to back down.

"G-Goodness," Sakura muttered. "I-I didn't think that the Faceless looked so horrifying…"

"They _are_ quite the ferocious beasts," Asama noted. "Don't you worry your sweet little head, Lady Sakura. If we are to die here at the hands of the Faceless then that is how things must be. Although, I do have some modicum faith in our allies' will to protect us both from harm if that is what they wish. Isn't that right, Lord Kamui?"

"Of course," the prince replied. "I'll do everything in my power to protect you on my honor as the second prince of Hoshido."

"Splendid to hear young prince. In return, _we'll_ do everything in _our_ power to ensure that you fulfill your mission. Whenever you are close to death, we'll be certain to bring you back to full combat capacity. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a fair deal to me." Kamui was often confounded but rather accepting of Asama's behavior to everyone's surprise. The monk's liege on the other hand wasn't as tolerant.

"Asama, when are you going to pick up a weapon and learn to defend yourself and others for once?" Hinoka asked. "You already have the potential to perform well in combat if only you simply worked up the effort to try."

"I'll begin my training with weapons whenever the opportunity to do so is most convenient for me," the monk answered. "Although, if Lady Sakura can prove that there is a place on the front lines for even shrine maidens, then perhaps a simple mountain monk such as I won't be as needed for offense hm?" Hinoka had to stop herself from arguing with her retainer further, ending the conversation with a sigh. It was then that some of the Faceless finally took notice of the Hoshidans' presence, and after a roar from one of them the small quartet charged ahead at the soldiers; all were felled easily with swift counterattacks, and the sound of bodies collapsing and dying groans attracted more Faceless to the area. The group soon found themselves locked in a heated encounter in the harsh cold, but they were filled with determination they hadn't possessed before

"Ready yourselves troops!" Ryouma commanded. " _For the glory of Hoshido!_ "

 ** _Theme: Past Light (Storm)_**

The Faceless took the initiative, barreling toward the Hoshidans with monstrous speed. While they could feel the harsh environment around them, their sensitivity to it was inferior to the sensitivity their human prey could experience so they had no trouble maintaining high speed throughout the terrain by ignoring the biting chill. It helped that they were coherent enough to maneuver around and through the uneven ground to reach their targets, either avoiding hidden stones or large clumps of snow entirely or smashing over and through them. For once many of the foot-soldier Hoshidans were incredibly wary because of the severe disadvantage at play, but they refused to let it get to their nerves. Eventually the two parties came together and traded many a blow intent to kill; had anyone else been there to see the battle, it would have appeared especially one-sided in the Faceless' favor; the usually agile soldiers were now making very few actual steps to lightly dodge or maintain a strong defensive stance. The fliers and Takumi were incredibly indispensable thanks to them being able to traverse their surroundings with little issue, but even they had to take extreme caution thanks to their relative frailty.

Kamui found himself almost pitifully underprepared for the skirmish despite his excellent skill, not having much room to move around and his feet were starting to freeze at an alarming rate. It was a scary experience for him to put it lightly even with everyone else doing their best to protect each other, but he would not let himself give in to fear; he would help defeat the Faceless no matter how grim the outlook appeared. A single faceless tried to punch his head clean off and he narrowly dodged the blow, and his brothers came to his aid with light blows meant to create a window of opportunity for him. From then the Hoshidan prince wasted no time landing a killing blow with a quick decapitation. His first kill wasn't as nerve-wracking as he thought it would be but he dared not relax: his siblings were already on to their next target and he made it a priority to help them out as soon as he could.

The other soldiers who weren't agile enough to evade the onslaught of the faceless were shrugging off the blows as best as they could: Saizou, Hinata, and Tsubaki had their work cut out for them having to constantly defend their less sturdier partners, but the burden was lessened somewhat thanks to Kagerou, Oboro, and Kazahana providing more than enough firepower to take the Faceless down. Between the royal siblings, Ryouma, Hinoka, and Takumi were pulling their group of five through with their high offensive power, though they too were constantly shifting around to cover for each other to make up for their smaller number and relatively poor defenses. Kamui lacked the raw power his other siblings had on top of being fragile and not having his great agility at his disposal, resulting in him having to throw out quick and weak swipes before backing away as fast as he could to avoid a counterattack. Sakura did her best to heal any major injury her older siblings suffered while sticking to the center of the "square" they formed to protect her, but she often found herself veering too close to them in the middle of their fight before being roughly told to back off for her safety.

Eventually, the Faceless found themselves unable to muster anymore strength to attack the Hoshidans, shortly falling victim to a surge of all-out pummeling from everyone who had a weapon once it was clear that had lost their steam. One by one they fell into the snow, staining the landscape with their blood before evaporating into the air, until there were none left in the immediate vicinity.

"Finally…" Kamui rasped out. "I thought it'd never end…"

"Now you see what _we_ must do every time we hear of a Faceless attack," Ryouma spoke. "Granted, this is the first we've had to deal with them in the snowy wildlands."

"Either way, don't get too comfortable," Hinoka warned. "I doubt this is all the Faceless we have to deal with out here."

"Also, it could be just me, but it seems like the Faceless are a little smarter this time around," Takumi said. "They kept trying to get around me and attack Sakura; usually they just slug it out at whatever's in front of them."

"In that case, we need to be on our toes even more out here. Saizou, Kagerou, you two will be leading your group of eight. Tsubaki, you will be providing a bird's eye view of the landscape for the rest of your comrades and guide them closer toward the endangered village. We'll catch up to you shortly."

"Understood Prince Ryouma," the three Hoshidans replied. With their directives, the soldiers marched ahead of their lieges. Takumi was about to ask what was going on until Ryouma directed his attention to Kamui.

"Listen up Kamui, I'll give you a brief rundown of how our dragon's veins work. If you want to use a lot of energy, recite the ancient Hoshidan Royal Family's prayer to the Dawn Dragon, Hydra. You can also perform small-scale usage of your dragon's vein known as 'bending': the advantages this offers over large-scale dragon's vein usage is smaller energy consumption, making it more readily accessible. For this battle, we'll want you to practice becoming well acquainted with the Breath of Air variant of bending; I want you to reach inside yourself and find the source of your royal power like you did back at the sparring session, then coat yourself with it and use it to feel the air surrounding you."

Kamui did as instructed and mimicked the meditation process Ryouma and Hinoka used to utilize their dragon's veins; he found a feral, draconic force within himself that felt like the energy he was surrounded with during the earlier spar, and he wasted no time trying to channel this power outside himself. Sooner than expected, he had gotten the hang of drawing out his energy and covering himself with it.

"I think I've got it Big Brother," Kamui announced.

"Good, now try extending your energy past your body to move the air around you." The young prince did just that, moving his arms in a slow and steady motion while keeping his energy tethered to himself, feeling the wind he was generating from his movements. It didn't feel like he was just swishing his arms through the air, rather the winds he created were like extensions of his own body. This impressed his siblings at how fast he was catching on to the practice.

"Well done Kamui," Hinoka congratulated. "Now, let's see you create a miniature cyclone around your legs to push yourself into the air. The key to doing this is envisioning the cyclone itself as you direct and swirl your natural energy underneath your feet. Maintain this swirl of energy and you'll find yourself lifted into the air." Kamui listened and tried envisioning a small tornado beneath himself as he directed the energy underneath himself. It was a slow process but eventually Kamui learned how to sustain the winds and briefly lift himself a foot or two above the ground. Physically and mentally, Kamui felt elated with finally able to fly to an extent, satisfying one of his childhood dreams.

"Unbelievable…" Takumi said aloud. He had been working hard to do the same thing and his older brother—who had never properly practiced prior, had managed to accomplish in one day what he aspired to do for years with no apparent success. A part of him _was_ happy for his brother, but the other part couldn't help but feel a good deal of jealously toward him. Kamui's lack of long-term experience with bending eventually made him tire from maintaining the flow of energy, but it was a little later than what Ryouma and Hinoka had expected from him.

"Nicely done," Ryouma said. "You're already showing great bending aptitude with just a little bit of practice; no doubt you'll be able to master these arts soon if you start applying yourself like me and Hinoka."

"We'll be with you throughout the beginning of this training, but after that you'll have to develop your own sense for bending," Hinoka added.

"I doubt he'll need a lot of help even now," Takumi commented. "With that done and over, shouldn't we be catching up to the others instead of standing here? We'll have more time to do this later."

"Erm, right you are Takumi," Ryouma said. "Feel free to practice your bending on the way, Kamui, but don't let it interfere with the task at hand."

"Alright."

* * *

"You guys think these Nohrian mages are nearby?" Hinata asked. "Not to sound grateful or anything, 'cause even though these faceless raids have been pretty good exercise, I'm startin' to get really tired of seein' 'em. I know our barrier keeps baddies out except for the faceless, but maybe they can still control them while inside the barrier…?" The only immediate response he got was a bunch of funny looks for his dumb question. "Yeah…I guess not."

"I honestly wish that they're nearby," Oboro said. "Attacking defenseless villagers like this…Words cannot express how disgusting this is." The tailor could feel her grip on her naginata intensify every second, but she calmed herself to avoid letting her anger get the best of her. Silently, she swore that she would defend the village from the monsters even if it killed her; she didn't want a repeat of what happened to her family.

"We know Oboro, we know…" Kazahana said with sympathy for the other woman's experiences. "They're not getting away with this little stunt, that's for sure, so cheer up for us eh?" Even if she got a tad too close and physical for Oboro's comfort, it was hard for the other woman to not smile and the effort was appreciated greatly. The sis-hug was cut short when Tsubaki announced his minutely update of the situation.

"Lady Mikoto and the village she's defending are still doing just fine, though there's still no clear sign of Orochi, Yuugiri, or nearby Flame Tribalists anywhere," the tenma warrior explained. ". There's also a distinct lack of faceless close to us as if they're numbers are dwindling greatly, but I would still remain on guard: they seem smarter this time around like Prince Takumi said and they could be lying in wait for us." Just then, Tsubaki could hear something or someone approaching his group quickly: instinctively he had his tenma face the direction of the sound. He felt at ease, though, when he saw that it was simply Hinoka and Sakura on the former's mount; down below he could spot Takumi, Ryouma, and what looked like an airbending Kamui arriving too.

"Sorry we're late guys!" Kamui said. "I think I've gotten the hang of using my dragon's vein a little, at least when it comes to moving around with the breath of air."

"That fast?" Asama questioned. "My, you must have greater proficiency than even your older siblings if that's the case. Or maybe their dragon's veins are atrophying?" This time the wise-cracking monk saw the conk-on-the-head from his liege coming, letting his partner Setsuna be the unfortunate victim instead. Chuckling at the spacy girl's luck, he wasn't aware of Ryouma enough who promptly dope-slapped him with compacted mud to the ground.

"Not funny," the prince said dryly.

"Thanks Ryouma," Hinoka said as she was helping Setsuna to her feet.

"Um, a little help your majesties?" Asama muffled out through the snow.

"On your feet soldier, that's an order," Ryouma commanded.

"As you wish…" Now that everyone had reunited, Tsubaki gave his report to his superiors on how the situation had progressed before returning to his bird's eye position. On guard for the faceless, the group travelled slowly to not spring a trap once they got close. A minute later and they had almost gotten caught in the blast of magic from their queen's royal diviner Orochi who looked busy competing with Yuugiri. Seeing the two women handling the monsters like nothing put them at ease, also knowing that with them around they were much closer to reaching Mikoto and the endangered village.

"My kill count's at twenty-three," Orochi shouted out to Yuugiri. "What about you?"

"Twenty-seven," the kinshi warrior replied smugly. "Make that twenty-eight."

"Show-off."

"Don't start crying now since you're the one who started this little game. I love you as a sister, but I'll be damned if I lose this sort of sport to anyone."

"Remind me to not spar with you after this."

"Hi misses Orochi and Yuugiri!" Kamui greeted, ignoring the fact that there were still Faceless in the area.

"Lord Kamui?" the momentary distraction almost cost Orochi her head, but she was fast on her reflexes and struck the monster down after dodging its attack. "Goodness me, I was worried that we'd be out here fighting these dreadful things by our lonesome. I'm so glad you decided to join us."

"These faceless aren't so tough this time around," Yuugiri spoke, "but it seems they've grown some in intelligence: little Orochi here was almost worm food earlier had it not been for a hasty retreat."

"Way to remind a gal…"

"I hope I didn't miss anything important," a newcomer's voice said. Everyone quickly recognized the voice belonging to none other than the Flame Tribe's princess, Rinka. Despite what was last heard of her she looked no worse for wear, ready to bash faceless heads in with her kanabō.

"Not at all," Ryouma responded. "You're just in time to help us rescue moth-, I mean, Her Grace."

"Rinka!" Kamui exclaimed. "But, I thought you were—"

"We had some help in escaping," the tribalist responded.

"We…?" Right on cue a familiar flash of green zoomed in front of Kamui's eyes and stopped right in between Saizou and Kagerou.

"Apologies for the late arrival," the newly arrived ninja spoke. "Captain Kirigakure reporting for duty."

"Kaze, you're okay!" Kamui was so joyed to see one of his comrades okay he had almost thrown his arms around the older man in childlike excitement; Saizou's hand warned him to not get too close.

"Let's give him some room first, Prince Kamui," the older ninja said. "So, Suzukaze, how was your time in Nohrian captivity?"

"Brother, please don't let this spiral into an 'I told you so' situation."

"I wasn't even going to—"

"We had our asses handed to us by Princess Corrin and her abductors," Rinka answered for Suzukaze. "After that we were thrown into some dungeon called 'The Pit', but one of the Nohrians let us escape. On the way here we met and travelled with three other escapees carrying an injured refugee with them. We went our separate ways once we reached a border outpost; the other guys said they needed more weapons since they lost theirs during their stay in Nohr."

 _'Three other escapees…carrying a refugee?'_ Kamui thought. If his suspicions were correct then this was when he would meet his other future vassal, but he was curious about the other three Hoshidans. He didn't want to think it, but he had a creeping feeling that these "escapees" were spies already in their homeland. "Can you describe what they looked like?"

"Guys, look," Takumi interrupted. "I'm sure we're all excited to see Rinka and Suzukaze back in good health despite what earlier reports said, but we really, _really_ need to keep moving. Mother—I mean, Her Grace could be in serious trouble right now."

"Once again, you are right Takumi," Ryouma said. "We've wasted enough precious time already; the sooner we get this done the sooner we can prepare for the invasion." Rinka and Suzukaze were about to question the mention of an invasion but they kept silent. The large group of Hoshidans travelled further north to the endangered village and hoped that they weren't too late. Hinoka and Tsubaki continuously fed the group with a bird's-eye-view of the situation while Ryouma was busy tearing through the rough terrain with his dragon's vein to let the group pass through easily. When they got close enough to their destination they finally caught sight of their queen keeping a single faceless at bay with her arrows, but it wasn't just any regular faceless he and the others had faced: it was a bigger beast with skin that looked like it was made of solid gold. It already had wounds engraved into its flesh but it didn't appear deterred because of it. Nothing Queen Mikoto could do would do anything significant to the monster, simply waiting for the beast to inch its way closer to her and the village while her strength had simply left her.

"Mother's in trouble: we have to do something!" Kamui was gripping his silver katana tight, and Ryouma hatched an idea seeing this. Everyone but him and Sakura had defeated the "leading" faceless during each raid and came out stronger for it, and Ryouma felt that it was now his brother's turn to ease into how a real fight was.

"Kamui," he began, "you're going to take that thing down." While this earned the crown prince a disbelieving stare from everyone else, Kamui was near ready to rush off and attack the monster to protect his mother. "However, you're not going to do it alone: Suzukaze, Rinka, you two will be assisting him in the battle. Now go, quickly."

"Ryouma, I don't want to be that guy, but are you for real right now?!" Takumi asked. "Seriously, _look_ at that thing! Mother's stronger than us, and if she couldn't put a dent into it by herself what makes you think Kamui of all people is gonna take that thing down even with Suzukaze's and Rinka's help?"

"I just have this feeling that he will." That was all Ryouma was going to say on the matter, and before Takumi could question him further he sent a silencing glare his way, killing whatever protest the younger prince had left. "We'll jump in and help if we need to, but this next battle is yours Kamui. Give it your all, understand?"

"Understood. Come on guys, let's beat this monster!" Neither Suzukaze nor Rinka resisted the order and followed the prince to the golden faceless; everyone else travelled ahead the trio but focused on getting to Mikoto before the monster did. In the short amount of time he had, Kamui had already thought up a battle strategy to handle their enemy. "Alright, here's the plan: we'll all start off using our ranged weapons for an early advantage until the faceless gets close enough, and after that I'll switch between my iron and practice katana throughout depending on the situation, finally finishing the faceless with my silver katana if needed. Kaze, stick close to us when the faceless gets close, but try and stay out of the faceless's range as much as possible okay? Rinka, you and me will be alternating between each other to attack the faceless and defend each other. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Sure."

"Okay then, let's do this!" By then Ryouma and the other Hoshidans were keeping the beast at bay while Kamui's trio caught up to them and began flinging their weapons at it. First came a few of Suzukaze's gale-needles burying themselves into it, causing it minor irritation from the impact and incredible annoyance once the poison set in. The needles also released a special chemical that enhanced the reflexes of its owner's allies within a two-yard radius. Making use of the increase in agility, Kamui and Rinka kept up the ranged onslaught until the monster was thrown into a complete fit.

"Here it comes!" Kamui's warning steeled himself, Rinka, and Suzukaze for the incoming monster. Rinka and Suzukaze had little issue of moving out of the way of its attack, but Kamui had hardly moved much, blocking the punch with his iron katana and staggering thanks to an uneven stance. To his fortune he had Rinka cover for him, pushing the monster away from him and engaging in storm of fire-enhanced blows while more of Suzukaze's shuriken hit their target. Rinka's high body temperature had kept her warm in the cold atmosphere despite being underdressed compared to others, so she had no problem maintaining a steady stance to fight with. But, even though it seemed like Rinka had an advantage over the enemy, the monster suddenly caught her kanabō mid-swing and engaged in a tug-of-war with her, clearly displaying its superior strength. Rinka found herself slowly being pulled toward the monster and promptly let go of her weapon, quickly using her firebending to jet herself away from the beast.

"Rinka!" Kamui was ready to come to the woman's aid but ended up slipping in some of the mush Rinka created with her warmth and landed on his rear, it would have been comical if the situation wasn't so dangerous. The Faceless saw this and ran past Rinka toward the prince to attack him in a surprising burst of speed; it almost succeeded in getting hit on him but Rinka's flaming fists crashed into the metal mask on its head, knocking it off. Kamui and Rinka saw that the so-called "Faceless" wasn't without a face, though they much preferred the beast to have kept the mask on.

"Good gods, that thing is hideous!" Rinka commented.

"Alright guys, it's close and weak enough: pummel it in rotation!" Kamui ordered. Rinka regained her nerves and wrapped herself in a light sheet of flames while Kamui and Suzukaze took out their iron katana and steel shuriken respectively. Despite the strain that bending took on him, Kamui took to the air with his airbending since staying on the ground wasn't going to help him. Suzukaze was the first to attack in the rotation, utilizing quick leaps across the ground while slashing at the monster's torso in a hit-and-run maneuver before tossing a shuriken; Kamui followed the ninja with mid-air dashes, going in for a quick slice and then flying over to the other side of the monster to throw his kodachi. Rinka was the last to go, throwing in a flaming punch or two and then backing off to fire off a flame blast in time for Suzukaze to repeat his portion of the cycle. After a few seconds the monster couldn't find anywhere to retreat to from the continued assault, furiously spinning its arms out in a sweeping clothesline to force its attackers off it. It caught all three in its counterattack and flung them a ways away from each other. Ryouma and Takumi were ready to strike the monster with a ranged weapon the moment it looked ready to finish off Kamui, Suzukaze, or Rinka. The benders could stand on their feet again but Suzukaze wasn't so swift to do so. The monster noticed this and slowly trudged its way over to the man.

" _No!_ " Kamui and Rinka dashed up to the monster to save their comrade but took another arm swipe from it. With Suzukaze too injured to help his allies, he could only watch as it changed targets from him to them. The monster raised its fists to do both Kamui and Rinka in, and that was when it took two blindingly-fast darts in its eyes. In its confusion it only pushed the shuriken in deeper, blinding itself and taking two more shuriken in its torso. These two shuriken exploded and released a strengthening powder that Kamui and Rinka ended up inhaling. Kagerou and Saizou rushed out to the battlefield to help their allies.

"Sorry for taking so long to assist you," Kagerou apologized, feeding the benders her vulnerary and helping them up. Saizou had dodged around the flailing faceless to carry his brother off the battlefield back to the others. With Kamui and Rinka back in action, the two Hoshidans rushed in to finally deal the killing blow: Kamui embedded his silver katana into the monster and pulled out before Rinka drove her fists into the opening and let loose a fiery explosion. Finally the faceless had been taken down, collapsing into the snow with a heavy thud before evaporating into smog. Kamui and Rinka simply couldn't believe how durable the damned thing had been, but with the abomination dead and over they allowed themselves relaxation and fell into the snow as well.

 ** _Theme End_**

"Gods…that was pure torture…" Kamui rasped out. "What was that thing made of…?"

"Who cares…?" Rinka panted. "At least we put it down…I never want to have to see another one of those things again…"

"Ditto…"

"Well done you three," Ryouma spoke as he walked up to the group. "This was your first real fight against a golden faceless."

"You mean you've…fought that thing before?"

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have had you fight it this time around. Although, I must admit I was slightly worried in that you wouldn't be able to handle it. Thankfully, Saizou and Kagerou were on standby to help you out."

"Someone had to be if he was going to survive it in case he proved too weak," Asama said, instantly getting everyone's eyes on him. "I'm just saying."

"Thanks guys…" Kamui said to Kagerou and Saizou, ignoring the current conversation topic. "I owe you guys big time…"

"There is no need to repay us Prince Kamui," Kagerou responded. "We are but vassals fulfilling our sworn duty."

"Just be sure to take care of yourself more often Prince Kamui," Saizou added. "We may not always be around to cover for you in case something goes wrong."

"I'll remember that…"

 ** _Theme: Paradise (Light)_**

"Thank you all for coming to our aid," Queen Mikoto finally spoke. "There has been a small number of casualties and property damage, but overall the village remains standing from the faceless threat."

"I'm sorry that we have not come sooner, moth—I mean, Your Grace," Ryouma said while bowing.

"Oh son, there is no need to only refer to me as 'Your Grace': 'mother' also works just fine."

"Yes, of course, mother." It was a force of habit for Ryouma to refer to his mother with an honorific in the presence of other nobility from outside of mainland Hoshido such as Rinka, but he very much preferred to call her "mother".

"The flame tribalists have been very instrumental to defending this village from further harm," Mikoto said, "so we must give them our thanks as well for their cooperation."

"Think nothing of it," Rinka said. "Now, I'm certain you would like to hear this small bit of news concerning Princess Corrin: she is indeed alive and well, but it doesn't seem like she recognizes you as her mother. If anything, she's convinced that you tried to kidnap her and Kamui when they were children. For that reason she doesn't think favorably of Hoshidans."

"It's true," Suzukaze added. "We were even released from Nohrian prison to be used as test dummies for the princess. The plan was to rescue Princess Corrin and escort here back here, but she nearly killed us after engaging in a battle with us. She doesn't even remember being kidnapped, which smells strongly of brainwashing." The news wasn't very surprising for a few individuals but it was not something they wanted to hear; this effectively confirmed that the only way to get Corrin to remember her origins was to capture her and place her upon Hoshido's throne, forcibly if need be. "Also, there were three other captured Hoshidan soldiers who were taking another refugee to one of our infirmaries. Aside from requesting weapons, they said that they wished to speak with you about what they learned in Nohr about incoming spies who want to destroy our barrier."

"I see," Queen Mikoto wanted to stay out in the snow and wait for confirmation that everything was in order, but something told her that the three Hoshidans needed to be seen at once. "Princess Kagu-tsuchi, would you mind looking after the village for a short spell to ensure that nothing else needs to be taken care of and report to me in Shirasagi's throne room whenever possible? You will be assisted by your fellow tribalists while inside."

"I'll do it," the oni savage replied, "but I'm afraid I'll have to mail you a litter either this evening or tomorrow morning. My father will want me to stay in our village for at least a day before I am let back out again after what happened in Nohr."

"That is understandable. Do take care of yourself out here."

"Will do." Bidding a temporary farewell to the flame princess, Queen Mikoto gathered her soldiers and directed the group back toward their capital to meet the refugee and her Hoshidan saviors. After the revelation of Nohrians being behind the attack, many in the group began suspecting the refugees as the spies that were mentioned. No one had reason to suspect that the Hoshidans were the potential moles, but Kamui had a nagging feeling that the Hoshidans weren't all what they appeared to be. He tried wracking his memory of who out of the Nohrians in his vision seemed most likely to be the spies they would encounter soon, and exactly three Nohrians stood out from the others: Óðinn, Selena, and Laslow. Laslow himself claimed to have ninja training which likely meant that he once lived in Hoshido and knew his way around it. Still, he didn't want to jump to conclusions yet, he'd have to wait and see who these Hoshidans were before making any hasty decisions. Ultimately, he wanted to be nothing more than wrong about who the three Hoshidans really were.

* * *

 **Author's Closing Notes:** It's been a while since I started to get back to work on this old chapter. Anyways, there's some things I wanted to list off before I close out: if anyone is wondering how Kamui can quickly get the hang of using his dragon's vein, it's because of his more direct dragon lineage compared to the Hoshidan royal siblings, letting him draw out the energy more naturally. This is related to what Xander told Corrin back in the first chapter about dragons having to deal with less strain when using their dragon's veins. His biological father is the same in this story as it is in the base games, but that subject will not come up in this story until the very end. Second, I know that the games has all of the royal siblings able to utilize their dragon's veins, for the sake of character progression not all of them ae able to actually draw out their energy necessary to do so for personal reasons: Takumi because of his rash behavior which will provide some rivalry between him and Kamui later on, Sakura because she doesn't see much of a reason to do so at the time being until she's forced to later, and Elise for much of the same reasons as Sakura and the dragon twins (didn't receive formal training yet). For anyone wondering what role Aqua/Azura will have in the story, she will be making a brief appearance in the next two chapters but she's removed from the royal families as the fifth family member with a different position in each country (both Avatars fill in the position of the fifth family members). Also, the next immediate part of this chapter will be dialogue oriented with very little combat if any like Chapter 3a. That's all I can really say for now, but if anyone has something else that they've thought of or some inquiries then don't be afraid to leave it in the reviews or in a PM. Anywho, that's about it for now; this is Motley World Studios signing off the air. Until next time folks.


	9. Chapter 4b—Icebreaker

Felicia knew where this place was even when she couldn't see through the thick of darkness. She had been here many times before, becoming something of a daily ritual for her. Regardless, she still felt compelled to venture on into the darkness, hoping that it would be over sooner than usual. For what seemed like forever her hands finally felt something: it was a cold and solid structure with what had to be blood staining it given the smell. Immediately Felicia wanted to run as far away from the structure as possible, but she knew that it wouldn't get her anywhere. She stood where she was, keeping her hand upon the structure and closing her eyes, bracing herself for the horror that awaited her.

When the darkness had finally been lifted from her eyes, she found herself looking upon the outer wall of one of her tribesmen's homes. A long streak of blood ran down from it all the way to the ground where an elderly man's body was laying. Felicia recoiled from the sight and turned to see if anyone else was around to help, only to find a similar scenario play out at every house she looked at: dead bodies found just outside of their homes or hanging in their doorways. It seemed like no one was spared from the brutality inflicted in this place, and it made Felicia want to cry and vomit. Still, she didn't run away; she had to know where her father and sister were, to make sure that at least they were okay. Felicia located her house and ran inside, stopping cold in her tracks when she found her father glaze-eyed and mouth agape on the floor.

"No…no, no, nononono—" The maid had been too late to save her father from whatever or whoever had laid waste to her village, but she refused to break down completely. As small as it was, there was still hope that her sister had survived, so Felicia took that chance and ran into the bedroom that she and her sister shared. To her misfortune, fate designed to have even her twin sister on the floor bleeding to death, and behind her stood someone she never expected to see: her mistress Corrin stood with her back turned to her vassals, wearing an obsidian suit of armor in the likeness of Nohr's dusk dragon and gripping what looked like the legendary golden blade of their people's hero—drenched in blood and suffocated by a miasma of darkness. Against her better judgment, the maid knelt and held her sister in her arms.

"Flora…please, say something…" the younger twin whimpered. "You've gotta say something…"

"F-Felicia…" The older twin could barely open her eyes, but she could clearly see the pain and fear etched on her younger sister's face. She knew that there was no saving her, but hopefully her sister could escape with her life. "R-Run, far away, now…don't look back…"

"Wh-What? But, sister—"

"Please, j-just do it…I-I'm so sorry I can't…be with you…" That was the last Flora would say before she slowly closed her eyes again, this time for good. At this point Felicia had become hysterical: she had lost everyone in her tribe to what looked like her mistress. When she finally she was ready to scream at her former mistress for why she would do such a thing, but when she finally looked up at her the words died in her throat. The half-dragon princess was exuding a fell aura that paralyzed Felicia into silence, and when she had finally turned around she held a cold expression on her face. Her blood-red eyes fell upon her former vassal but there was no emotion in them. Quietly she strode toward the terrified girl with the golden blade in hand, waiting for what would happen next. The only response she received was scared silence, and with that she raised her weapon high.

"No…" She wanted to beg for it to stop but again her words failed her, and her internal screaming was the last coherent thought she had before the golden blade fell upon her.

A sudden, bloodcurdling shriek from Felicia sent the entire room full of Hoshidan soldiers jumping back from the girl. They had fair warning that her rising would not be peaceful from her pained face and fearful mutterings but they were still caught off guard. The spectacle didn't last for long as the maid's injuries forced a few wet coughs from her, calming her down long enough to have some semblance of consciousness.

"Who are…where is this…?" Felicia asked barely cognizant of her surroundings.

 ** _Theme: Implore the Dawn_**

"Good, you're awake now," Ryouma spoke. "I know that this is rather sudden to ask of you, but can you provide us with your identity for security purposes? Name, age, occupation, and applicable tribe association will do fine." Ryouma knew full well that while a groggy person was less likely to give concrete information they were also less likely to lie about said information. If Felicia later altered any of the information she had given to him then and there, she would be put under some level of scrutiny.

"Uummm…my name is Felicia…Arendelle…" the drowsy maid started off with. "I'm about…seventeen—no, wait, eighteen years old. My bad. I…*yawn*…work as a maid for the Nohrian Royal Family, and I'm the youngest daughter of Ice Tribe's Chieftain…" Even when tired Felicia gave an accurate enough description of herself—she felt no reason to lie about herself so long as telling the truth didn't put anyone she cared for in danger, though her inability to recognize anyone near her as Hoshidans helped with honesty. "Do you know where I am…?"

"Before we get to that," Takumi said, "can you tell us a little more about yourself first? For starters, you mentioned that you worked as a maid for the Nohrian Royal Family. Care to elaborate on that?" Felicia was curious as to why she was being asked such a question but saw no reason not to.

"Well…me and my twin sister Flora were asked to receive training for maid-service under the Nohrian Royal Family at about age six, and we both accepted the position. We've been serving the family ever since, doing things like cook and clean, maintain acceptable condition of armaments, protecting the royal family—you know, the usual maidservant duties."

"You know how to fight?"

"Mm-hm. Sir Gunther taught us how to fight so we can protect Lady Corrin better."

"Ah, so you're already acquainted with our sister."

"Who, Lady Corrin?" It was then that the cognitive gears in Felicia's head finally started whirring to life, and when inspecting a few of the Hoshidans' attires more clearly she could tell exactly who she was dealing with. "Wait, you guys are Hoshidan soldiers…"

"Fifty gold says she takes ten more seconds to connect the dots," Asama joked.

"No one worth their weight in gold would ever bet against you," Saizou responded.

"I could be wrong~…"

"Not falling for that."

"Three seconds."

"Seriously, give it a—"

"A-am I in Hoshido?" Felicia asked after scanning her surroundings, sounding more of a want for confirmation than any confusion. "Wh-What's going on? Where's my family?"

 _'And there's the panic attack,'_ Ryouma noted, having grown familiar with this scenario.

"Please, I need to see my father…" Felicia now had an acute sense of how vulnerable she was, completely at the mercy of the Hoshidan soldiers before her.

"We have no idea where your father is," Ryouma told the girl. "As far as we know, you were found out in the wilderness by yourself."

"B-But, my father withdrew me and my sister from the royal family's service after King—" Everything came back to Felicia with the speed of a lightning bolt from how Ghans screwed her over to when she was just about to leave. She remembered hearing the sound of magic being cast right before an intense searing sensation overtook her for a moment. After that she could hear Corrin's anguished scream and Garon's orders for her and her family to be removed from his sight before she completely passed out. The nightmare she had woke up from was coming to the forefront of her mind, and she feared for the worst.

"Easy now," Ryouma said attempting to calm the girl down. "I'm certain that if they're still alive then—" The look on Felicia's face told Ryouma that perhaps he should have left the "if" part of his sentence. He looked to his sisters to see if they could rephrase what he was saying, but all he got were apologetic stares. He wished that Kamui was there to alleviate the situation since he always knew just what to say.

"I really wish that I at least got to see those Hoshidans before they left," came Kamui's voice as if right on cue.

'Worry not son," Mikoto said to the young prince. "I had asked them to stay around for a short while to acquaint themselves with the others. You will meet them before they leave back out again." Mikoto and Kamui entered the room everyone else was in to check up on how the refugee was handling her injuries, and Kamui felt a small shock run through his body once he finally saw her.

"Felicia?" he called out. This instantly got the maid's attention since no one who knew her seemed to be present, but she felt relieved once she saw who called her name.

"Lady Corrin?" the maid gasped. In a flash the girl tried to jump out of her medical bed to hug "Lady Corrin" but was stopped short of her injuries holding her back. Regardless her mood had increased greatly. "I-I can't believe that you're here. I was so worried that I would never—"

"Uh, hello? That's clearly not Corrin," Takumi scoffed. "I assure you—somewhere within the strange outfit and the dorky housewife personality lies a biological male—my older brother Kamui."

"Your brother? Oh, my apologies. It's just that he looks a lot like…wait, did you just say 'Kamui', as in, 'Prince Kamui' I assume?"

"Ohmygodthisgirl'sdrivingmenutsYES, I said and mean 'Prince Kamui'. _Please_ don't have me spell it out for you." Felicia lit up hearing the answer, and while it wasn't her former mistress gracing her presence at least she had the next best thing.

"Omigosh, someone pinch me: I must be dreaming…!"

"Care to clarify where you'd like to be pinched?" Asama asked. "There are quite a few places where women like to be pinched."

"Asama I swear, if you don't keep your f—"

"Lady Corrin talks about you all the time!" Felicia stated, cutting Hinoka's would-be-curse short. "She said that back when you were kids that you were such a sweetheart: no matter how bad her day had gotten, you were always right there to cheer her up like nothing was wrong! If she were here right now she would've squeezed you with a teary-eyed hug so tight you'd think she was trying to kill you!" That had not brought a pretty mental image to anyone, instead imagining the princess trying to crush Kamui with her dragon claws. Felicia remained oblivious to the not-mood of discomfort hanging in the air and continued. "Lady Corrin doesn't have many memories of what her life was before she was locked away in the Nohrthern Fortress, but she does remember all the times you two played with each other as children: in fact, you're the only person she remembers from her old life! To quote one of the things she says often: 'those times when me and Kamui frolicked in the woods with each other are some of the only memories I have that always brings a smile to my face. His innocent laughter and smiles, the way he treats everything with tender love…Gods I miss it all so much. Heaven forbid I never get the chance to hold my sweet brother again'."

"Wait, you mean that…Corrin never really got to spend a lot of time with anyone?" Kamui asked. "But, aren't you one of her servants—I mean, _weren't_ you one of her servants?"

"Yeah, but the thing is King Garon didn't want anyone to spend too much time with her: he said that somebody might try to take her away or that she would grow soft, so he limited how long we could actually be around her before we had to leave her by herself to study and train. Because of that she always treasured the few times we had to bond with each other; she even said that we were more like family than servants to her. I can still remember how heartbroken and upset she was when King Garon kicked me out of Nohr and when my father withdrew Flora from her service too…"

"Wow…I never knew…"

"D-Don't feel bad Prince Kamui: I'm sure that one day you two can finally be a family again."

"And how exactly do you expect _that_ to happen?" Takumi questioned. "Corrin was kidnapped by Garon twelve years ago after Sakura was born, and until now we haven't been able to get her back let alone figure out where she was being held."

"Wait, what? Lady Corrin was…but, I thought she—everyone I know except father and Flora says that _Kamui_ was the one that was kidnapped and by the queen of Hoshido when his mother went to visit her sister who lived there."

"What in the— _we_ kidnapped _Kamui_? That is such a load of horseshit that I'd laugh if that wasn't so stupid…Oh what the hell, I'll laugh anyways." The prince wasted no time busting out a mocking cackle that earned him no looks of approval, not even from his own retainers. Felicia tried her best to make an angry face but only managed an annoyed pout.

"I-I'm serious! Everyone believes it: even the royal family believes it, and it's hard to fool them with anything!"

"Wait, you're serious? Even the crown prince thinks this is true?"

"Yes!"

"…Hang on for a sec, I need to laugh even harder." This time Takumi was crowing his lungs out on the floor complete with gasping. Only Kamui, Sakura, and Hinoka's retainers found the sight comical because of it being _Takumi_ losing it and couldn't help but giggle or snicker. Hinoka was thoroughly tired of it and lightly kicked her brother in his ribs.

"Okay Takumi, we get it: it's hysterical. Now can we please get back to serious discussion?"

"Wait, don't kill the fun yet Lady Hinoka, I need to know who laughs better between the two of us!"

"Asama, what—"

 _"Wheeeeeee!"_ And just like that the monk joined Takumi in the nonsense, and not even Kamui could stand to look without feeling awkward. Setsuna, of course, simply stared at the sight with her no-lights-upstairs face, and Felicia was legitimately disturbed and wondered if something was wrong with the two Hoshidans.

"Are those two going to be okay?" the maid nervously asked.

"It looks like they're having fun," Setsuna responded. "Can I join them?"

" _No_ Setsuna," Hinoka half-ordered half-begged. "You may not partake in this horseplay."

"Aww…maybe next time?" The crown princess simply covered her face and wept without tears, muttering inaudible pleas. Sakura had noticed and tried to comfort her to no avail, and Felicia was thinking up ways of leaving the weird atmosphere when Ryouma spotted her.

 _'Oh boy, that's the look of someone who thinks they're in crazy town…'_ The prince made his way over to the slowly-inching-her-way-out-of-bed maid. "Hey, look: don't pay this any mind. They'll calm down eventually, and if you try to sneak out right now then Takumi _will_ chase you down because I'm sure he still has a few more questions to ask you."

"M-More questions?" Felicia dreaded being pelted with questions all day and hoped that it would be over soon so she could figure out where to go from there. It was clear that she wasn't going back to Nohr anytime soon and thus had nowhere to go, but if she was lucky then maybe the Hoshidans would let her stay with them until she was somehow able to reunite with her tribe. Letting out a sigh in resignation, the maid plopped herself back onto the hospital bed and waited until Takumi was sober enough to wrap things up.

"Whew, sorry about that," the Hoshidan prince said. "I needed a good laugh. Anyways, re-railing the discussion we had going on—from what you've told us, everyone in Nohr thinks that we Hoshidans have kidnapped Kamui."

"Yes, and not just him but Lady Corrin too: King Garon said that Kamui's mother killed the queen's consort who tried to take Lady Corrin but failed to get Kamui back from the queen and died in the process. Since then he's kept Lady Corrin hidden away in the Nohrthern Fortress for her own safety, only allowing select individuals including me and a few others interact with her at a given time over a span of twelve years."

"I know you said pretty much everyone bought into this, but are they any specific people you know who don't believe it?"

"Well…Sir Gunther along with my father and Flora were more or less indifferent about it: they said that they normally don't believe what other people say about what happened unless they were there to see it for themselves, and they said that they know the king sometimes instigates things and doesn't tell anyone about it 'cause he doesn't think it's important. But other than those three you won't find anyone who doesn't think it's true."

"Yeah, well, here's the thing: we have at least three trustworthy eyewitness accounts that prove that this King Garon guy is making this up. Why he's making this up is anyone's guess, but if I had to take a stab at it I'd say it's because he's planning on invading us real soon and is whipping his countrymen into a Hoshidan-hating frenzy by feeding them fake news."

"Hmm…I want to think that you're telling the truth, but I'm still used to what's been accepted as common knowledge. Can you provide your story of what happened?"

"Certainly, I was there when it happened," Ryouma spoke. "Our father and late king—Yamato Sumeragi, had received a letter from King Garon talking about things such as trade negotiations to help supplant Nohr with ample resources. Apparently Nohr had been stricken with a terrible famine and droughts at the time and needed a way to generate more viable resources; that's where Hoshido came in with its resource-rich harvests. Father was also told to bring Kamui and Corrin since he wanted to start a tradition of offering gifts to the other royal family's children as a sign of good will between the two kingdoms. Father accepted the invitation to depart to Chevalier, and that's where everything went wrong."

"As soon as Father got to Chevalier, King Garon and his men sprung a deadly trap on him," Hinoka said. "Father took a blow that was intended to end Kamui and Corrin's lives—and while Kamui was mourning over Father, Corrin got really upset and tried attacking King Garon herself. The man must have seen something in her that he didn't see in Kamui, and he ended up taking just her instead of both of them. I don't know why he didn't go after the rest of us who were there, but we've been trying to find ways to get Corrin back from King Garon, and until recently we were kept out by a barrier surrounding Nohr."

"You're talking about the anti-non-citizen barrier, right?" Felicia asked.

"The very same," Takumi answered. "See, we have our own barrier too, but it doesn't keep non-Hoshidans out: what it does do is neutralize any hostile intent in outsiders entering Hoshido. Because of that, we've been getting a lot of Nohrian refugees as of late claiming that where they lived is too inhospitable for them to stay. Our mother—against many people's wishes, decided to let them stay. Some have been deported or imprisoned for alleged espionage, and while that's been dying down we've had this sudden surge of faceless attacks occurring in many different villages throughout Hoshido; we've actually just gotten back from one before you got here."

"F-Faceless? You don't mean those big, green, hulking zombie-things do you?"

"Yes, actually. Seems like you've seen 'em before."

"There was a lot of talk about creating 'zombie soldiers'—or 'corpse corps' as Óðinn called it by studying the wild faceless we had to deal with and creating ones that could be controlled. I didn't actually think that they'd end up succeeding…"

"Well they have, and since the faceless don't have minds of their own they're perfect for getting through our barrier and stirring up mayhem. Initially it wasn't too bad but now it's getting ridiculous with how often it happens and how remote the locations are when we hear about them."

"What should we do? We can't just let these monsters keep hurting innocent people: maybe we can—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up for a second. What do you mean 'we'? All of a sudden you're a part of our group? Pfft, Kamui may be my older brother but even he still hasn't been accepted into the army yet, especially not without vassals of his own. What makes you think you can start buddying up with us to fight these things after having known us for less than two hours?"

"Hang on Takumi," Ryouma interrupted. "I daresay we _do_ have two candidates to become Kamui's vassals."

"Who? If you're referring to Orochi, Yuugiri, or even Yukimura, they serve mother remember? Rinka? She doesn't even live here, let alone actually work for us: she's back home with the rest of her flame tribe likely taking care of things they need to get down. And lastly, you know the drill about no shared vassals between us right?"

"I know about all of that already, but you're forgetting two other people that Kamui mentioned would help us out in the incoming invasion."

"Am I? Hrmmm…" Takumi had forgotten some of the details about Kamui's vision: he was more interested in where Queen Mikoto's assassination took place and when, not too interested in who participated in the battle. "Let's see…um, is it that one kitsune guy from up in Kitsune Hamlet?"

"No."

"I don't think it's this guy, but was it that was wind tribe kid?"

"Not him either."

"Ergh…Wait, I'm remembering something: there was a ninja who Kamui protected from that one Nohrian asswipe with the stiff suit…Suzukaze!"

"That took you way too long to remember," Saizou remarked having felt somewhat offended at the prince forgetting about his brother.

"Hey, I was kind of out of it when Kamui first mentioned that battle okay? Cut me some slack here. Okay, now…there was another shuriken wielder he had with him, and I think she could use ice powers."

"You guys have an ice tribe too?" Felicia asked now giving her full attention.

"Used to," Ryouma said. "King Garon exterminated it not that long ago."

"Really? Awww…I was hoping that there was an ice tribe in Hoshido that kept contact with my ice tribe in Nohr."

"Guys, please, I'm trying to focus here."

"Come on Takumi, it cannot be that hard," Hinoka said. "I bet even _Setsuna_ figured it out before you did with how long you're taking."

"DON'T. Go there. You don't even know if she was paying attention or not back there."

"Setsuna, who do you think Kamui's other vassal is?"

"No, Setsuna. Don't' answer that. Lemme figure it out first."

"You're taking too long Takumi!"

"You keep derailing my thoughts!"

"I already know who my second vassal's going to be," Kamui spoke up.

"Don't say it! I think I've got it!"

"For god's sake Takumi, spit it out already!"

"Okay sis, I will! She was a shuriken-wielder who could use ice powers and she was recently kicked out of Nohr, and come to think of it she looked a lot…like…" Ever so slowly did Takumi turn his head to the person in question who looked just as shocked as he did.

"Whaaa…? You…You don't mean…"

"No."

"Say it." Hinoka was goading him to spit it out but the prince's denial was too real.

" _No..._ "

"Say it Takumi."

"Stop."

"Say it Takumi," Ryouma said repeating his sister.

"This has to be some elaborate prank; you guys must be punking me."

"Don't make me go fetch father's paddle."

"SIS NO."

"What's going on?" Felicia asked thoroughly perplexed with the situation.

"Just seeing how long until Takumi takes his dose of reality-check and stops acting like a kid," Hinoka answered.

"OKAY, FINE," Takumi finally snapped before taking in a sharp inhale. "Themaidisthenewservant—"

"Say it slow and clear so that everyone can hear you."

"AUGH, YOU'RE KILLING ME SIS."

"My, isn't this an interesting conversation?" a new voice said laughing. "I do hope we're not interrupting anything important." Kamui and Felicia recognized the voice in a heartbeat and turned their eyes to the room's doorway to find three Hoshidans who had just entered.

 ** _Theme: Guest of Light_**

 _'No, it can't be…'_ Kamui and Felicia thought but for different reasons: Kamui was hoping against hope that the people before him weren't who he thought they were while Felicia was hoping the opposite.

"Sir Laslow?" Felicia said. Immediately the grey-haired ninja looked at Felicia, seemingly surprised with her calling his name.

"'Laslow'? Is that what everyone's calling me now?"

"Wait, you're not Laslow?"

"'Fraid not little lady: that's the name of my twin brother who lives in Nohr. I'm **_Azuro_** **_Razuwarudo_** , but you were pretty close. You can just call me 'Raswald' if my name's a bit funky sounding."

"Oh, alright then. You just look a lot like Laslow; I don't remember him mentioning a twin though."

"Must be because I was kicked out of Nohr and he doesn't want to bring up the incident. I know I wouldn't."

"Really? You were kicked out too?"

"That shouldn't be all too surprising," the redhead tenma warrior said. "King Garon does that all the time, and he has this weird fixation on twins: he's either kidnapping one of the two from somewhere or he's kicking one of them out of Nohr because he 'only needs one of them'."

"Just like what he did with Felicia and Kamui," Ryouma noted. "That explains quite a bit actually."

"Yeah. We tried to sneak back into Nohr but got caught and locked up until someone bailed us out. And one the way back here we ran into you; we picked you up and took you straight here to help you recover."

"Wait, that was you?"

"Uh-huh, so you'd better be grateful we took sympathy on you."

"Wow, you sound a lot like Selena."

"Please don't start; if there's one thing I absolutely hate, it's being compared to someone in my family, even if it's my twin."

"Don't mind her," the blonde sword samurai said, "she's just got a bit of an inferiority complex."

"What?! No I don't!"

"You totally have an inferiority complex."

"Yeah, well, at least I'm not an edge-lord constantly talking about how my 'sword hand hungers'! Honestly, how stupid do you think people are?"

"Hey, it's _not_ made up, it's a genuine condition that I have to deal with!"

"I bet your 'sword hand twitches' late at night when you—"

"Really? Are we really going there?"

"You started it!"

"Okay, that's enough you two," Raswald finally interrupted. "Apologies for my two comrades' behaviors; Luna and Woody don't get along with each other much."

"Believe me, they are most certainly pardoned," Hinoka said. "They're rather tame compared to some of the things I have to deal with."

"That had better not been a stab at me sis," Takumi called out.

"Please don't start this crap again you two," Ryouma said finally tired of the two's antics. "Either kiss and make up—not literally, or keep quiet. Anyways, I don't think we've properly thanked you for saving this girl's life."

"Don't mention it sire. It's a little difficult for me to pass up a pretty lady like her anyhow."

"Oh boy," Luna and Woody simultaneously groaned out.

"What was that? Are you two implying something?"

"You just cannot go a day without some attractive female on your mind," Luna chastised.

"Yeah, come on man. That can't be healthy to have women on your brain twenty-four-seven, and I'm surprised you tease _me_ over my sword hand 'twitching at night'."

"You're getting back at me for calling you out aren't you?"

"You better believe we're getting even with you."

"Interesting cast of characters you three are," Ryouma remarked.

"Laslow, Selena, and Óðinn act just like this," Felicia said. "They're like an example of…what do you call best friends who still get on each other's nerves often?"

"A dysfunction junction?" Takumi offered.

"Frenemies?" Sakura answered.

"Vitriolic best buds?" Hinata said.

"I think that last one is most applicable," Hinoka said. "Some things run strong in the blood."

"Did you guys have anything to actually say to us or are you just here for the laughs?" Takumi said.

"We just wanted to drop off a quick reminder that we're gonna start getting spies coming in here soon," Luna said. "Queen Mikoto's barrier stops violent intent from coming in aside from the faceless right? Well, what about non-violent spies simply looking for information on how to get rid of the barrier?"

"If they're sending faceless after mother then they must have already found out by now," Ryouma said.

"Wait, the Nohrians are trying to kill her to get the barrier down?"

"That's the only way to dispel it."

"Guess we better up the security around here, and you might want to start keeping an eye on any Nohrian refugee coming in here; they could be a spy for all we know."

"Don't worry about that too much. We've essentially tagged all of the refugees that came in here to make sure they're not up to trouble, and our watch force is making sure our own citizens aren't up to any ill-will as well; we can stop outside hostile intent but not inside hostile intent, hence the need for us soldiers."

"Not bad Mr. Crown Prince. I'd hate to be the sorry sap who tries to stir things up around here, especially not with even the royal family doing rounds around the capital."

"Guess there was really no need for us to tell you anything eh?" Raswald said. "In any case, we should be taking our leave right about now: our twins are still living in Nohr and we must find some way to convince them to get their lieges to abolish the invasion plans. If not that then at least get them to get out of dodge as fast as they can."

"Do you have appropriate enough weapons to undertake something like that? You were caught once already, and since Suzukaze's and Rinka's infiltration of Nohr I'd like to think that Nohr's tightened their security."

"Oh pshaw, don't you worry 'bout us," Woody said. "We've snuck in and out of Nohr several times already. It's just that one time we were caught."

"All thanks to your 'sword hand' nonsense," Luna told the samurai.

"Why are you so convinced that it's made up? Never mind, can we just get going now?"

"Certainly," Raswald answered. "Well, it may have been a brief spell we've spent together, but I just know that we'll be around more often soon."

"Do take care of yourselves out there," Hinoka warned. "If you ever find yourself in trouble, get out of there as soon as you can okay?"

"Of course: I wouldn't do anything to upset you my lady."

"Don't push it sir, especially not with my protective brothers nearby."

"R-Right then. See you all around." Raswald, Luna, and Woody waved farewell to the Hoshidans and ducked out of the room, leaving the group to discuss upcoming plans to prepare for an invasion. Some of the less vocal Hoshidans had noticed that Kamui was unusually quiet the whole time that the three Hoshidans were there instead of being his usual talkative self. Him being so silent meant one of two things: he was either paying extra attention to something important or he was incredibly wary of something or someone for once. He never voices his suspicions about anything until he was sure that they were nowhere nearby.

 ** _Theme Stop_**

"Hey, Prince Kamui, is there something on your mind?" Oboro asked. "You haven't said a thing since those three came in here."

"Hey, yeah, you're right," Kazahana said. "Was it that vision of yours?" Kamui nodded at the samurai. "Let me guess, you think that they're the spies right?"

"Their stories were too perfect given Kamui's and Felicia's situations," Saizou chimed in. "Either they preplanned this or they are incredibly adept on-the-fly thinkers—assuming that they're the spies."

"It was difficult enough for me and Rinka to get past Nohr's ward, let alone get far without being spotted," Suzukaze added. "While it shouldn't be too surprising given that they're of former Nohrian nationality, I'm still questioning their supposed ease of sneaking in and out of Nohr while only being caught once."

"Glad to see most of us on the same page here," Tsubaki said. "I also distinctly remember Prince Kamui mentioning a Nohrian ninja named Laslow who claimed to have a lot of dirt on us. If that was actually him then I'd wager that this invasion is going to come much sooner than what it was previously going to do. Lords and ladies, would you mind if I performed a quick scout to see where they're currently at?"

"I wouldn't advise that for now," Sakura said to her retainer. "Didn't Kamui say that red-haired girl already knew a bit about our tenma warriors? She'd know if she was being followed by one."

"Uhmm…" Hinata started saying, "d'you guys think we shoulda checked to see if those guys were still here before we started talkin' about this?" At the omission everyone had frozen up in realization with Ryouma, Takumi, and Saizou bolting toward the doorway to check for themselves. Stepping out a ways away from the door, none of the men found the trio to be nearby which did no wonders for their psyche.

"I think we should take this conversation elsewhere in case we're still being eavesdropped on," Ryouma said.

"What about the maid?" Takumi asked. "Think we should leave her here or take her with us? She could provide us some useful information."

"She's not well enough to be moving around just yet, but I don't think we should leave her by her lonesome."

"Should we set up a few guards to keep watch of her condition?" Saizou suggested. Ryouma had briefly considered it; while he could trust Kamui to see Felicia's recovery through, now he wasn't entirely keen on leaving him in her company given how openly he trusted her. Granted he was very trusting toward most of everyone, but that combined with him being a young and innocent Hoshidan prince with a young Nohrian female meant all sorts of shenanigans could happen. Kamui was simply a magnet for unscrupulous people waiting to take advantage of his innocence, and those that weren't trying to exploit him still got them both into trouble somehow. Then again, perhaps it was all the makings of a perfect plan.

"I'm in favor of the guards watching the maid," Takumi said. "I know Kamui said that she'll join our side during the invasion but until then I'd rather her be placed under supervision for some time. I'll give her a month to show that she's not going to exploit us or anything of that sort."

"…No, I've got another idea," Ryouma said. "Let's leave Kamui to look after her."

"What, why?"

"Think about it for a moment: what would you do if you knew you were constantly watched by guards?"

"I'd be on my best behavior of course, not doing anything that would get me landed in hot water."

"Exactly."

"But then, why would you still—"

"Because if someone is always with people who could very clearly make their life hell then they'd do whatever it took to get on their good side. Leave them with people who are very trusting and easy to take advantage of, then you get them to start showing their true colors more often."

"Wait, are you saying that…"

"If Felicia feels comfortable around Kamui she'll be more likely to act herself, especially when the two are alone. Of course, they won't be alone but they won't know that. Should Felicia prove to be an upstanding and trustworthy individual then we've got ourselves a new ally and friend, and should she prove otherwise then we'll…you get the idea."

"Ohhhh, I understand you now. That's actually a lot better than what I suggested. But that also begs this question: who's going to keep an eye on the two of them?"

"We can volunteer Suzukaze for that position. You don't have a problem with that, do you Saizou?"

"None," the ninja replied. "He's already fit to serve the royal family as it stands. If we ask him, I'm certain that he'll agree."

"Felicia will also be attending Kamui once she recovers; this way we'll gauge just how competent she can be when serving him."

"The rest of us will go talk things over with Mother and Yukimura, and Kamui will stay here to keep the maid company while Suzukaze watches over them; I love it."

"Great, now let's grab the others and get going."

 ** _Theme: Lingering Clouds_**

Ryouma, Takumi, and Saizou returned to the room and stated their plans to prepare for the Nohrian invasion. Everyone agreed to it and they were ready to go to Yukimura. One by one the soldiers left while bidding Kamui and Felicia goodbye for now, but Ryouma held Suzukaze back.

"Suzukaze, may I ask you something real quick?" the crown prince said.

"Certainly," the ninja replied.

"How would you feel about serving my brother Kamui? He needs at least two retainers right now and I think you're a good enough candidate to fill in as one of them." Suzukaze didn't know how to feel about what he was being asked to do: sure he would have liked to serve the young prince but he still couldn't forgive himself for what happened twelve years ago in Chevalier. Ultimately, he didn't feel worthy enough of such a position no matter how much he wanted to accept it.

"Nuh-uh, I know that face," Ryouma said. "Don't give me that face Suzukaze."

"My apologies milord, it's just…very hard to let go of."

"Well, think about it this way: if you really feel like you failed us in the past, then this is as good a chance as any to make up for that day, don't you think so? You can even honor your clan more with having two of its members serving two princes of Hoshido. The way I see it, it's a win-win for you and Kamui." When Ryouma had put it like that it was hard to refuse the offer even with the gnawing guilt in the shinobi.

"Lord Ryouma, I think…I shall accept this position. I've honestly wanted it for so long but never felt myself ready for it; now, though, Prince Kamui needs someone to personally look after him when the rest of our army cannot do so, and despite my past mistake I shall do whatever it takes to repay your kindness for accepting me still. So, to answer your question, I would feel honored to serve your brother."

"Attaboy! I knew you'd come around eventually." Ryouma gave Suzukaze a light jab on the shoulder and shared a small laugh with the ninja. "I know Kamui would be delighted to have you as one of his vassals, and lucky for you I happen to have a new task for you."

"Say the word and it shall be done sire."

"We're all leaving to talk with Mother and Yukimura for a bit, and someone needs to keep an eye on Felicia as well. Kamui will be staying behind to keep the maid company and make sure she's in steady recovery. That's where you'll come in, staying close by but not in sight to monitor their actions: ensure that neither of the two of them are up to anything they shouldn't be up to."

"As you wish Prince Ryouma."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get Felicia set up for her stay in Hoshido." Ryouma took to Felicia's hospital room and greeted his brother and the refugee, cutting into the silence of the room. "Felicia, I have something important to tell you."

"Y-Yes, Prince Ryouma?"

"Until we can find a way to reunite you with your ice tribe, you will be staying in Hoshido with us."

"Really?" both Felicia and Kamui exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes. In light of Kamui's vision of you coming to Hoshido and taking up residence, I felt it was about time to make it official even though we've just met. I daresay that Kamui was even looking forward to this."

"I…wow, th-thank you so much your highness! I—"

"Of course, there will be several rules for you to follow while you're here: once you recover from your injuries you are to serve to royal family as one of Kamui's vassals. Think of it as paying off a debt of some sort or earning your keep. Kamui will need someone to keep an eye on him, and seeing how you've apparently been doing a decent job of that when you worked for Corrin we will be expecting you to put forth your best effort. This shouldn't be any different from your time of serving the Nohrian Royal Family based on what you've told us, understand?"

"Y-Yes your highness. I'll do my very best."

"I'll be expecting as much. And Kamui, I'll expect you to be responsible with Felicia and look out for her: if she needs additional food or drink then be sure to go fetch her some but don't take too long, understand?

"Understood Big Brother."

"Also, I will allow this one special case exactly once: if no one else is here but you and Felicia needs to…ahem, relieve herself, then assist her as much as necessary. I do not want to hear anything regarding you doing things you know you shouldn't be doing. Am I made clear?"

"Very."

"Good. With that I'll be taking my leave now." Ryouma finally left the two young adults to themselves, giving them much to talk about with each other.

"I'm still surprised that he let me stay," Felicia said, "especially with the talk about spies coming to Hoshido and all."

"Big Brother just wants to give everyone a chance to be on their best behavior," Kamui said. "I don't think he could've turned you away with what's going on right now, that and Mother would be really cross with him if he did."

"Your mother…are you referring to the queen of Hoshido?"

"Yup. She's all about love and peace being what Hoshido is about and what we should all strive for. We _do_ have a military, but for now at least it's mostly for dealing with the everyday brigand or a faceless raid."

"Nohr has it bad with brigands and wild faceless running around everywhere, so our military is as tough as you can get. King Garon also likes going over to smaller territories and adding them to the Kingdom of Nohr with military force, so there's that."

"That's to be expected." The two of them continued for what seemed like hours talking about things such as hobbies, favorite foods, career choices in life, the other Hoshidans that Felicia would get to know, etc. Eventually, the topic of Kamui's living conditions that had interested Felicia finally came up.

"So, um…may I ask you something potentially sensitive, Lord Kamui?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you…Do you like living in Hoshido? You don't feel like…like a prisoner do you?"

"What? Heavens no, I don't feel like a prisoner here: I _love_ living here in Hoshido! What gave you that impression?"

"Oh, my apologies. I just kinda assumed that given what happen to Lady Corrin and all that you might've…you know, gone through the same thing. She was locked away at six years old and didn't get to leave until she made eighteen today."

"Was it because King Garon wanted to 'protect' Corrin from her kidnappers?"

"Yup, that's exactly it. Hey, speaking of birthdays, happy birthday Lord Kamui!"

"Huh? But…it's not my birthday today."

"It's not your—wait, whaaaa…But, aren't you and Lady Corrin like twins?"

"I was actually born on June Twenty-Fifth, not May Twentieth, so I'm actually still seventeen years old."

"Whoa…But you know, since you don't have the same birthday as her, you won't get twice as many gifts!"

"I thought twin birthdays didn't work like that. Saizou and Suzukaze are twin brothers but they never get twice as many gifts."

"At least that's how it worked with me, Flora, and Lady Corrin: me and Flora always…"

* * *

By the time the everything was set up to prepare for a Nohrian invasion, early nightfall had come to Hoshido. Everyone had returned to Felicia's hospital room and found both her and Kamui fast asleep, with Felicia sleeping in her bed while Kamui slept on his favorite blanket on the floor. To Ryouma's surprise, Suzukaze was also fast asleep, resting himself on the wall across the bed.

 _'That explains where Kamui's blanket came from,'_ Ryouma noted.

"Hey, big brother," Takumi whispered, "You wanna take Kamui back to his room? We could just leave Suzukaze here to watch Felicia."

"Let's leave him be for now."

"Alright."

"Oboro, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I understand that this might be a tall order, but can I have you fashion some new clothes for Felicia by tomorrow at least? You don't have to if you don't want to, but something tells me that Felicia's here to stay. With that in mind, I'd rather her transition from Nohrian life to Hoshidan life be seamless…please excuse that pun by the way."

"Pun excused, and yeah—it's going to be a bit difficult for me to get near her for her measurements, but I'll try my best."

"Thank you Oboro."

"So this is where everyone disappeared to," Yukimura's voice came in from the doorway. "Keeping an eye on our newest refugee I presume?"

"Just for a quick moment."

"Hmm…when do you think Felicia will fully recover from her wounds?"

"I'd give her a week tops."

"That's good: we may need some of her knowledge to properly prepare against Nohr's soldiers once they invade, and the sooner she recovers the more time we'll have. It is still rather bothersome that we do not have a definite date of when Her Grace's assassination will occur, but with the increased numbers and scrutinizing eyes of the patrol guards we shouldn't have to worry so much."

"*yawn* So…sleepy," Sakura mumbled.

"Guess that's our cue to hit the hay," Takumi said. "If nobody needs us for anything, we're turning in for the night."

"I'm right behind you guys," Hinoka said. "Big brother?"

"We've got nothing else to do here," Ryouma replied. "Let's get ourselves some shut eye everyone. Heaven above knows we need it for what's to come." The Hoshidans collectively let out a yawn and made way for Castle Shirasagi, leaving Kamui and his new retainers to themselves once again. Once midnight came no one in Hoshido was expected to be awake, and there were no witnesses to see a puddle of water and foam bubble up to the floor right in front of the door in Felicia's hospital room.

 ** _Theme: The Water Maiden_**

Slowly the body of a shimmering woman in white emerged from the puddle looking surprisingly dry, looking over the sleeping patrons in the room: after giving Felicia and Suzukaze the once-over, her eyes finally fell upon Kamui. The woman glided over to the sleeping prince and knelt beside him, placing a palm over his heart and three fingers on his forehead and nose.

 _"You are the ocean's gray waves… "_ she began to sing, her voice barely above a whisper. A warm blue glow with ethereal bubbles spread from underneath Kamui to surround him as the woman continued her song. _"…Destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach… "_ The echoing effect of her voice and the light given off from her song caused the prince's retainers to stir in their sleep: when the two of them opened their eyes they at first recoiled from the light and attempted to ignore it while going back to sleep, then in a start they realized that someone was touching their lord and tried getting into a battle stance (with no success on Felicia's part).

"Who are you and what are you doing with our lord?" Suzukaze demanded in his drowsiness. He didn't get an immediate verbal response from the woman; she slowly directed her piercing gaze at him and Felicia, her shining eyes of gold staring intently into theirs while she brought up a finger to her lips.

 _"Shhhh…"_ Suddenly Suzukaze and Felicia found their energy leaving them at a rapid pace, struggling to hold on to consciousness until slumping back into a deep slumber. Having employed a hypnotic suggestion on the retainers, the woman returned her attention to the sleeping prince, putting one hand over her heart and moving her fingers from her lips to his. _"…Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time the path is yours to climb… "_ Soon the light began fading from underneath the prince's body while two spots of light formed on his forehead and chest.

 _"O' princeling of the light, hero of ideals, let not the love of your heart be shaken in the trials and tribulations yet to come…"_ The woman took her hands and rested each at Kamui's cheeks and ears. _"Though your innocence shall be your price to pay for strength of body and strength of mind, your love guided by your ideals shall be the instrument which saves the world from hatred…remember these words always…"_

After removing her hands from Kamui's, she returned to the puddle from whence she came. Before she had a chance to disappear, an unexpected visitor popped in wanting to check on her son and his new retainers, coming face-to-face with the mysterious person. Silence hung between the two women as they stared for a solid minute, experience brief feelings of familiarity toward each other. Without warning, the mysterious woman finally sunk underneath the puddle's surface, and the puddle dried away as if it was never there.

 _'Was that…'_ Mikoto wondered. She had heard legends of a woman in a white dress who served the Dawn Dragon: this woman had the power of amplifying her songs with a magic pendant and used her songs to quell the inflamed hearts of Hoshidans whenever their kingdom had gone into a great war with itself. Afterward this woman or rather her spirit would continue to appear in Hoshido's times of dire need, using her songs to bring stability back to the kingdom. If this woman had appeared before her when Hoshido was at peace with itself, it had only meant one thing; Mikoto resolved to spend as much time with her family and friends as she could before the happy days between them would come to an abrupt and bloody end.

* * *

 **Author's Closing Notes:** and that concludes the final part of Chapter 4. Here I am, sighing in relief in that I didn't have to write a combat scene here—one of my weak spots that I think I'm improving on somewhat, and appreciating this small break from it. This part was surprisingly easy for me to write and didn't take as long as I thought it would (I started working on it right after I published the previous part). Anyways, a quick heads up on what'll happen next: the next immediate installation in this fan-fiction will jump back and forth between the Nohrians and the Hoshidans spending some time with their friends and family in preparation for the big day with no combat and more focus on interacting with each other (sorry about the typo earlier to anyone re-reading this). Think of it as an in-the-middle chapter that does more exploring with the characters outside of fighting their enemies in the war, which is where most of their characterization will be. That's all I have to say right now; inquires and constructive reviews (whether about likes or dislikes) are welcome as always.


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